beefcalf wrote:Hmm... yes, I hadn't thought of that.
Consciousness is such an obvious and clear-cut dividing line.
I need to read more and blab my mouth a bit less.
You still have a problem. You have to define consciousness and provide a method of determining that.
How does one determine the level of consciousness in my dead rat friend? What degree of conciseness constitutes a soul?
I've seen couple of anon cephalic miscarriages (essentially born without brains). These babies only lived for a few minutes after birth. I'm pretty sure that they never achieved any sort of consciousness. Did they have a soul?
This, or any other post that I have made or will make in the future, is strictly my own opinion and consequently of little or no value.
"Faith is believing something you know ain't true" Twain.
Quasimodo wrote: LOL! You may not be endearing yourself to the cat lovers out there, MCB.
The souls of dogs and cats might be superior in nature the souls of humans. Certainly less guileful.
Well, that is why I put it in small print. LOL. There are times I love dogs more than I love humans, that is for sure.
I've loved all my dogs more than some people I have known.
"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. In return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made." — Margery Facklam
This, or any other post that I have made or will make in the future, is strictly my own opinion and consequently of little or no value.
"Faith is believing something you know ain't true" Twain.
beefcalf wrote:Hmm... yes, I hadn't thought of that.
Consciousness is such an obvious and clear-cut dividing line.
I need to read more and blab my mouth a bit less.
You still have a problem. You have to define consciousness and provide a method of determining that.
How does one determine the level of consciousness in my dead rat friend? What degree of conciseness constitutes a soul?
I've seen couple of anon cephalic miscarriages (essentially born without brains). These babies only lived for a few minutes after birth. I'm pretty sure that they never achieved any sort of consciousness. Did they have a soul?
I was being facetious in my response to Turkey... though it is now clear it wasn't obvious enough! :-\
In any case, consciousness and conscience are also so nebulous that neither be used as the dividing line.
Great apes clearly have both, as do dogs. Where is the line between consciousness and non-consciousness? Between conscience and its absence?
I defy anyone to draw that line and defend it with rational argumentation and/or scientific, non-anecdotal evidence.
eschew obfuscation
"I'll let you believers in on a little secret: not only is the LDS church not really true, it's obviously not true." -Sethbag