Analytics, this sounds like it could be an interesting book helpful for better understanding ourselves. Like Physics Guy I am uncertain that it precludes spiritual experience as completely or simply as you suggest. You are of course invited to expand upon why you see it as so close to conclusive.Analytics wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 2:58 pm..... I will recommend a book on a closely related topic:
Who's in Charge?: Free Will and the Science of the Brain by Michael Gazzaniga
Who's in Charge is an amazing book by a superlatively qualified scientist to talk about the subject. I was surprised with how detailed and robust the science actually is about the relationships between different parts of the brain, how we think, how we feel, and, how we subjectively interact with the world. The hypothesis that there is a "ghost in the machine" is completely decimated.
With that as a background, whether spiritual feelings are "the direct perception by the brain of some supernatural realm" seems pretty obvious.
It crossed my mind that I have never thought of spiritual experience as direct perception of a spiritual realm. I have thought of it as being the recipient of communication from God who has access to the total of our natural perceptual and conceptual processes. There need be no special supernatural part of myself. Looking again at your statement I realize people may well speculate or believe that they do have such supernatural eyes.Mormon cosmology might make that speculation more likely. Some people have understood drug experiences in those terms. Others avoid such ideas thinking of alterations in how the brain processes ideas and percepions.