Is the Universe fundamentally Material, Mental or Both?

Discussion about scientific issues as they relate to God and Christianity including archaeology, origins of life, the universe, intelligent design, evolution, etc.
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Kurieuo
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Re: Is the Universe fundamentally Material, Mental or Both?

Post by Kurieuo »

You lost me Begood. :econfused:

If you can elaborate on how you think "particle interaction" is "consciousness"?

Lots goes on in CPUs, processing this and that information, and the mainboard directly signals to display on the screen, taking in keyboard/mouse input according the software and the user input instructing what to do.

The computer is a machine. Deals with lots of information, has electrons and the like bouncing round and interacting throughout. It doesn't get you consciousness, self-awareness. Any intentionality comes from the operator for this and that, otherwise it's just mechanistic.

Unless, at a fundamental level we're reduced to something very mechanistic too. Such that our consciousness, the "self" that "we" feel exists is illusory. "We" don't really perceive or are conscious, but just appear to do so as some strange side-effect to the physical bouncing around of information or particles and their interactions or exchanges with each other. So then what we call "being conscious" is that strange side-effect, like "steam" rising up from particle interaction "boiling over" so-to-speak.
"Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
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BGoodForGoodSake
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Re: Is the Universe fundamentally Material, Mental or Both?

Post by BGoodForGoodSake »

Well this is all totally conjecture of course.
But yes, let's take a moment and question the self. If it is an illusion then that changes the very nature of consciousness.
If the self is an illusion, then consciousness is simply pure perception, as all thoughts, sights, images, sounds, emotions, feelings, etc. are not being generated by the self(ego).
It is not length of life, but depth of life. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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