[extropy-chat] Re: John Wright Finds God

[Dirk Bruere]

Joseph Bloch wrote:

> Forgive me for perhaps speaking out of turn, as I've only recently 
> returned to the Extropy email list, but I must wonder why folks are 
> coddling this bizzare talk of visits from ghosts, gods, magic nose 
> goblins, holy spirits, or what-have-you? Mind you, I don't question 
> Mr. Wright's earnestness or his motives; I simply question his credulity.
>
> The mechanisms of hallucination-- even wildly vivid hallucination-- 
> are well-known to medical science, and the specific parts of the brain 
> which react to religiously-based hallucinations (as well as 
> religiously-based experiences which are based on ritual and other 
> human-induced causes) are beginning to be identified and even their 
> evolutionary benefits identified. I'm sure it felt realer than 
> sunshine to Mr. Wright, but so too do the demons that haunt the mind 
> of the schizophrenic seem to him or her.

So too does love, hate, joy, ambition, creativity, sadness, insight etc etc
And by what yardstick do you judge which mental states are 'really real' 
and which aren't?
Consensus reality? Take an opinion poll?

-- 
Dirk

The Consensus:-
The political party for the new millenium
http://www.theconsensus.org