Judgement Day...

The Sci-Fi theory from Babylon 5 was that the souls of an ancient alien race (the Minbari) were being reborn as humans. So they were weakening over time as humanity got stronger. It did lead to a slight misunderstanding that nearly wiped out mankind though... but it turns out a human was later sent back in time to become their greatest hero so it wasn't all bad

 

If there is a god, and that god is all powerful, then they would judge you on your words and deeds and those who were deemed good would be rewarded with a place in heaven. However, if it is full of evangelical Christians praying at all hours, I'd prefer to go downstairs. At least I wouldn't be able to hear the praying while my innards were being ripped out...

 

All consciousness and thought takes place in the brain. The idea that consciousness can exist without the Brains involvement makes no logical sense.
I respect your right to belive whatever you want. However i reserve my right to call it out as unfounded make believe.

 

It’s made up in the sense that some people wrote some stories about gods to try to explain things they didn’t understand.

I don’t know what other meaning there is. And I’m not sure anyone can prove that some people didn’t invent all religions.

 

FFS not just a passing thought then.
My mother has just come out of hospital after a bleed on the brain in September. We were getting ready to start preparing for a funeral.
She's made a wonderful recovery with the help of the NHS, particularly the neurology rehab unit at Kendray hospital.
While she was in hospital she is quite convinced my dad visited her on a few occasions (he passed away due to covid exactly 2yrs ago). She even said someone was in the room when we were there. She wasn't shocked, scared, worried about it at all. The only thing she couldn't work out was how he knew where to find her and how smart he looked.

 

Do you think they were chemical imbalances in her brain and illusinations brought on by medication?

 

Again, there is no evidence, at all, that consciousness and thoughts are a product of the brain. There just isn't. Many neuroscientists - who might believe that to be the case - will tell you that they don't have evidence for it and it is a theory. It's known as a the hard problem of consciousness. My problem here is that you speak like it's an established fact, which it just isn't. Yes, society popularises the idea that mind is the brain, but there is no evidence for it. There a wealth of scholarly literature out there that contends the idea. Many, many brain scientists across decades have contended that mind cannot be the brain, and they demonstrated this through many, many experiments. That isn't to say that the brain does not play a role in consciousness and thought, but whether it is causal is another matter. There's correlation but not necessarily causation. There's also a wealth of other science, that puts into question the fundamental nature of reality. Are you aware of the observer effect? I.e matter changes it properties and characteristics upon being viewed by a conscious observer.

A good introduction to this can be found here:

Look, it might be right that mind is brain. But as of yet, it's a theory - based on actually very little, if any, evidence. I too respect your beliefs. I never believed in any of this, I dismissed it as woowoo hogwash, but I've spent far too many hours looking at stuff like this than I possibly could ever recall and for me, mind being reduced to brain doesn't make any sense to me.

 

I'd be inclined to believe what she says as true. The brain is a portal or a filter. Alter it, and what the observer witnesses and sees changes. This has happened to thousands, if not millions of people.

 

And there you have it.
When human beings ‘beliefs’ reach a point where the former theory fails, we just invent a solution.

What you’ve done here Stephen, is inadvertently proved the point for every atheist here.

 

Oh we are going all schrodinger's cat here aren't we?

I have read on the subject previously and my understanding was the assumption within today’s neuroscience is that all aspects of consciousness arise solely from interactions among neurons in the brain.
Of course it's one area where we still need to learn a lot. However suggesting it is not product of brain functions and energetic process leaves the more perplexing question of where exactly would you be suggesting it comes from? Are you talking souls and afterlife?

 

Yeah I see your point. Very bleak.

 

I would also belive that is exactly what she saw. The Brain is a very fragile thing.

 

I always wonder what future lies in wait, after death, for non believers.
Surely it's the same for all, either a brick wall or an open door.

 

Indeed.

"Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy. And in the final tolling it often turns out that the facts are more comforting than the fantasy"

Carl Sagan

 

Why waste time hoping for something to be true when the hard facts prove otherwise. Spot on.

 

All the religious people around the world and throughout human history pray to their God. They think all the other religions are wrong and many will say the none believers are going to hell. Someone is wasting their time! Could it be everyone?

 

Just been following this thread with interest and I’ve one for you Mr PinballWizard

Ever since you were a young boy did you play the silver ball?
From Soho down to Brighton have you played 'em all?

Serious question

 

It’s not bleak:
Without religion most human beings still have a strong moral code, and I’m not going to touch on the horrible things done in the name of religion. Most people are fantastic.
The universe is beautiful, nature is amazing, we no longer need to look for a creator of all of this wondrous beauty, we can enjoy it for what it is, the result of chemistry and physics.

 

There's nothing about what I've just said refers to Schrondinger's cat. If you knew about Schrodinger, you'd find that he got that freaked out by the fact that his own equations didn't add up, he abandoned physics and went off to be a biologist. His pre-existing beliefs of the nature of the universe did not add up, upon measurement, and it scared him.

There are so many issues with the mind/brain issue. There's the visual binding problem. A paper published in 2013 (I think) by Jerome Feldman suggested that the visual systems of the brain had been mapped, and judged that there was no place that could be found responsible for unifying perceptions into one conscious experience.
I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and the work of Jeffrey Schwartz with OCD patients has proven that mind can change brain states. If brain was mind, it would be the other way around.
Consider the work of John Eccles, that showed voluntary movements preceded neural events.
There are studies into multiple personality disorders. People with several "personalities" have some personalities that are blind. Scientists have scanned their brains and showed that visual cortexs and pathways were not working when they of that certain personality. Which seems to suggest that the mental personality determines the brain states, as when the other personality returned, those parts of the brain fired up again.
There are so, so many studies on these issues and many more, far too many to mention here.

Yes, it's the popular belief that consciousness and mind (which are different things) emerge from neural activity. But as yet, it's a theory.

In answering your question, I don't know. I don't know how to define a soul. I don't know if we are supposed to know or would ever be able to comprehend it. I just don't think people can be reduced to random brain activity. I think the brain is a machine for the driver of the vehicle. Think of a radio. A fully working radio plays a clear signal. Break the radio, and it effects what comes through.