[ExI] The Soul

[Ben Zaiboc]

On 25/04/2020 11:35, Jason Resch wrote:
> The evidence and theories are already published and out there

Oh, dear. Poe's law strikes again.

OK, then.

You seem to be vacillating between the normal concept of a mind and the 
normal concept of a soul.

I think you mean 'mind' when you say 'soul', but then you invite 
accusations of supernatural thinking by saying things like "your 
consciousness is eternal, uncreated, immortal, can reincarnate, 
resurrect, and is in a manner one with all other consciousnesses".

Of course, answering "what is the soul, exactly?" with "Consciousness" 
is no answer at all. You might as well have said "Flargness" or 
"Domaghen" or any other word without a definition. I suppose the next 
step is to ask "So what, exactly, is Consciousness?". But don't worry if 
you can't answer that. Nobody else can either.

I hope you don't really mean what you say with "If you believe in 
mathematical platonism, some minds can exist as the mathematical 
equivalent of a Boltzmann brain". Because that means that reality bends 
to belief. I'm pretty certain that's not the case. How could you resolve 
the fact that some people do believe in mathematical platonism and some 
don't?

It's irrelevant, anyway, because as I've already mentioned, information 
isn't something independent of matter and energy, so minds can only 
exist as physical incarnations, such as functioning brains.

'You probably are thinking "I have a consciousness, but I don't have a 
soul"'
  Nope I'm not thinking that. I'm thinking I am a mind (not "I have a 
mind", because that would raise the question "What am I, that has a 
mind?"). A fragile, mortal, singular, emergent, and soon-to-be 
permanently-snuffed-out (unless someone does something to prevent that) 
mind. I don't have a workable definition of 'consciousness' and as far 
as I'm aware a 'soul' is just a made-up concept used by religious 
organisations to scare their congregations into obeying the rules. 
Unless its your special definition of 'soul', which means 'mind'. Except 
when it doesn't. Unless it means 'Flargness' as you claim (or some such 
term), which doesn't have a definition. And around and around we 
frustratingly and pointlessly go. Remind you of anything? (Hint: it 
starts with 'R' and ends with 'eligion').

-- 
Ben Zaiboc