DiscussMormonism.com

Is there something mystical, unexplainable--a soul if you will--or just chemical reactions and electric impulses?

Is a loved one any less special or important to you whether his or her unique configuration of chemical reactions and electric impulses is coupled with an unexplainable 'soul'?

sock puppet wrote:Is there something mystical, unexplainable--a soul if you will--or just chemical reactions and electric impulses?

Is a loved one any less special or important to you whether his or her unique configuration of chemical reactions and electric impulses is coupled with an unexplainable 'soul'?

I wrestle with these sorts of questions all the time. That's what makes me an evil agnostic instead of an evil atheist.

I have trouble understanding how chemical and electric impulses would allow for the appreciation of a beautiful piece of music or a spectacular sunset. A great painting that moves your heart (or whatever). There doesn't seem to be a biological imperative for those things. No evolutionary advantage in art appreciation that I can see.

I still have no answers (agnostic).

sock puppet wrote:Is there something mystical, unexplainable--a soul if you will--or just chemical reactions and electric impulses?

Is a loved one any less special or important to you whether his or her unique configuration of chemical reactions and electric impulses is coupled with an unexplainable 'soul'?

Love --> psychology --> neuroscience --> cell/molecular biology --> chemistry --> physics

Nothing mystical or unexplainable. It's all there (details yet to be elucidated). It only seems mystical if you skip the links and go straight from Love to Chemistry/Physics.

Yes, love is still important.

Quasimodo wrote:

sock puppet wrote:Is there something mystical, unexplainable--a soul if you will--or just chemical reactions and electric impulses?

Is a loved one any less special or important to you whether his or her unique configuration of chemical reactions and electric impulses is coupled with an unexplainable 'soul'?

I wrestle with these sorts of questions all the time. That's what makes me an evil agnostic instead of an evil atheist.

I have trouble understanding how chemical and electric impulses would allow for the appreciation of a beautiful piece of music or a spectacular sunset. A great painting that moves your heart (or whatever). There doesn't seem to be a biological imperative for those things. No evolutionary advantage in art appreciation that I can see.

I still have no answers (agnostic).

Music or a sunset is stimuli. It evokes a response. The responses differ based on different 'wiring', different ingredients in the chemical 'stew' between you and me. To the extent our responses are similar--we both think that golden sunset over the Pacific Coast is beautiful, if we do--it might be because of similarities in our species of wiring and stew.

Is the OP question solvable?

sock puppet wrote:Music or a sunset is stimuli. It evokes a response. The responses differ based on different 'wiring', different ingredients in the chemical 'stew' between you and me. To the extent our responses are similar--we both think that golden sunset over the Pacific Coast is beautiful, if we do--it might be because of similarities in our species of wiring and stew.

Is the OP question solvable?

I understand your point and it is a good one. My question (for which I have no good answer) is why we respond to that stimuli.

If we are wired to respond positively to that Pacific sunset, what purpose does it serve? I can't think of any other than the pure delight in seeing such a sight. Where does that delight come from? Why does a blaze of colors lighting the clouds move us emotionally? What wiring would elicit that response?

I am an illustrator and a photographer. I deal with creating images that project those feelings to others (well or poorly). I think I know, after many years, how to do that. I still really don't know how it works.

If I was forced to make an argument for a soul, it would be along those lines.

I would love to be able to solve the OP question. I still have no idea. I have no idea if it's solvable or not.

Along the lines of music, the huge divide between the intelligence and logic capabilities of man verses all of the other life forms on the planet. Look at what is involved with the computer you are typing on and the internet that connects us all here. How did man take the physical elements of this earth and do that? And all of this "evolution" of technology since say 1950. I believe this phenomenon is a bit mystical and unexplainable.

Want me to think it's mystical? Give me some mushrooms (psilocybin cubensis) and then I'll see what you mean and possibly go way beyond. But in my sober mind, no, it's not mystical at all.

The Dude wrote:Want me to think it's mystical? Give me some mushrooms (psilocybin cubensis) and then I'll see what you mean and possibly go way beyond. But in my sober mind, no, it's not mystical at all.

I assume you are familiar with this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Shock

Of course, I'd be the first to want to join you with those rooms, but you would not even consider this phenomenon to have supernatural, or influence beyond the scope of this world?

edit:

Dude,
I assume your view would be that everything is a coincidence, is that true?
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21171

But aren't you still make your determinations experientially? You have no way of knowing if there is anything "real" behind the experience.

The Dude wrote:Want me to think it's mystical? Give me some mushrooms (psilocybin cubensis) and then I'll see what you mean and possibly go way beyond. But in my sober mind, no, it's not mystical at all.

Ooh, now we are definitely going down the philosophy rat hole.

Something I wonder about. What are mystical experiences, really? If we take a chemical (psilocybin) and have a mind altering experience, what is actually happening? Is it just chemically altering our perception of reality or is something else going on?

When we have dreams, what dimension are we visiting or is it all just imagination. What reality are we experiencing in our imagination?

What is imagination? If you were to spend a month imagining another world, how far could you go? How complete a world could you imagine? Is there a limit to how large a world you could build in your mind? Where would that world exist? The easy answer is "in my mind", but what does that really mean?