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  4. The Concept of the human Soul is a religious concept, which has no basis in fact, and does not exist

The Concept of the human Soul is a religious concept, which has no basis in fact, and does not exist

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  • B Offline
    B Offline
    Bram van Kampen
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

    Bram van Kampen

    L N S Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Z 10 Replies Last reply
    0
    • B Bram van Kampen

      Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

      Bram van Kampen

      L Offline
      L Offline
      Lost User
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      Re-starting the computer, that's buddhism, not to mention, the program requires intelligent design. :)

      D 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • L Lost User

        Re-starting the computer, that's buddhism, not to mention, the program requires intelligent design. :)

        D Offline
        D Offline
        Dar Brett 0
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Urban Cricket wrote:

        the program requires intelligent design.

        I don't think it's hard to find evidence to the contrary

        L B 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • D Dar Brett 0

          Urban Cricket wrote:

          the program requires intelligent design.

          I don't think it's hard to find evidence to the contrary

          L Offline
          L Offline
          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Blasphemy! Everybody knows that in the end all programs will end up in the cloud where they will run forever!

          D 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • L Lost User

            Blasphemy! Everybody knows that in the end all programs will end up in the cloud where they will run forever!

            D Offline
            D Offline
            Dar Brett 0
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Not all, we know that printer drivers go to Silicon Hell.

            M L 2 Replies Last reply
            0
            • B Bram van Kampen

              Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

              Bram van Kampen

              N Offline
              N Offline
              Nitin S
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              atheist

              ===================================================== The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • B Bram van Kampen

                Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

                Bram van Kampen

                L Offline
                L Offline
                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                You can know some things and you can believe some things. I see no problem with that.

                L B 2 Replies Last reply
                0
                • B Bram van Kampen

                  Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

                  Bram van Kampen

                  S Offline
                  S Offline
                  Slacker007
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  The concept of a soul is not just religious based. Many cultures and schools of thought look at the soul more as a person's life force. This is why AI can never be fully realized; it is missing the "life force" component. To be clear here, you don't "know" anything. I don't "know" anything either. None of us do. We all have beliefs and opinions, but none of us "know" what happens to us when we die, other than the fact that our body rots, decays, and eventually disappears. Where does that life force go? Some believe (not know) that it goes back into the overall energy of the universe, or heaven, or hell. Who knows, really?

                  L C B 3 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • S Slacker007

                    The concept of a soul is not just religious based. Many cultures and schools of thought look at the soul more as a person's life force. This is why AI can never be fully realized; it is missing the "life force" component. To be clear here, you don't "know" anything. I don't "know" anything either. None of us do. We all have beliefs and opinions, but none of us "know" what happens to us when we die, other than the fact that our body rots, decays, and eventually disappears. Where does that life force go? Some believe (not know) that it goes back into the overall energy of the universe, or heaven, or hell. Who knows, really?

                    L Offline
                    L Offline
                    Lost User
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    We never measured "life force", nor has there been any other proof of it.

                    Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.

                    L 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • L Lost User

                      You can know some things and you can believe some things. I see no problem with that.

                      L Offline
                      L Offline
                      Lost User
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      I believe you owe me two pizza's and 500 euro.

                      Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.

                      L 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • L Lost User

                        I believe you owe me two pizza's and 500 euro.

                        Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.

                        L Offline
                        L Offline
                        Lost User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        I know that I do not. :laugh:

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • L Lost User

                          We never measured "life force", nor has there been any other proof of it.

                          Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          That is not a proof that it does not exist.

                          L 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • L Lost User

                            That is not a proof that it does not exist.

                            L Offline
                            L Offline
                            Lost User
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            It is the most likely according to Occam. Just as likely as a man in the cloud that is called the spaghetti-monster. It is also not like we did not look for proof; we did, even by measuring the bodies of the deceased when dying and we found consistently nothing.

                            Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • D Dar Brett 0

                              Not all, we know that printer drivers go to Silicon Hell.

                              M Offline
                              M Offline
                              Matt L
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              But where would all the calculators go?

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • B Bram van Kampen

                                Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

                                Bram van Kampen

                                Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                                Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                                Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                Soul has nothing to do with religion. Soul describes all the things we do not understand inside the human being we are, and for that it is only a word, that you can replace... It is true that over the human history the main explanations of the origin of the 'soul' came from religions and other philosophical materials, but it is still true that we have a - rather complex - part of our existence we do not understand... And no! We do not know better than a few thousands years before, what it is and what made of, and what for... As for today the most scientific explanation of the 'soul' is as good - or bad - as any, a religion came up with... The day someone will actually understand and explain it, the sticker 'Machine Learning' will turn into something real... And that one will became a deity in large parts of the world... :-)

                                "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge". Stephen Hawking, 1942- 2018

                                "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

                                N L K 3 Replies Last reply
                                0
                                • S Slacker007

                                  The concept of a soul is not just religious based. Many cultures and schools of thought look at the soul more as a person's life force. This is why AI can never be fully realized; it is missing the "life force" component. To be clear here, you don't "know" anything. I don't "know" anything either. None of us do. We all have beliefs and opinions, but none of us "know" what happens to us when we die, other than the fact that our body rots, decays, and eventually disappears. Where does that life force go? Some believe (not know) that it goes back into the overall energy of the universe, or heaven, or hell. Who knows, really?

                                  C Offline
                                  C Offline
                                  Chris C B
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  Slacker007 wrote:

                                  Where does that life force go?

                                  When the body is alive it absorbs energy which staves off increasing entropy, which, to my mind, is the only possible definition of 'life force'. When it ceases to function, entropy takes over, and any residual energy is either consumed by other living things to enable them to stave off entropy, or is converted into heat. Either way, entropy, as always, wins. It is a point worthy of note that is not specifically the heat of the sun that enables life (a reversal of entropy) to exist on earth - the earth radiates as much thermal energy as it absorbs - clearly so, as otherwise the planet would get hotter and hotter. What enables entropy-defying life is the residual energy from the earth's radiated energy being at a lower frequency than the received energy from the sun.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

                                    Soul has nothing to do with religion. Soul describes all the things we do not understand inside the human being we are, and for that it is only a word, that you can replace... It is true that over the human history the main explanations of the origin of the 'soul' came from religions and other philosophical materials, but it is still true that we have a - rather complex - part of our existence we do not understand... And no! We do not know better than a few thousands years before, what it is and what made of, and what for... As for today the most scientific explanation of the 'soul' is as good - or bad - as any, a religion came up with... The day someone will actually understand and explain it, the sticker 'Machine Learning' will turn into something real... And that one will became a deity in large parts of the world... :-)

                                    "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge". Stephen Hawking, 1942- 2018

                                    N Offline
                                    N Offline
                                    Nelek
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

                                    And that one will became a deity in large parts of the world...

                                    until...

                                    Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

                                    the sticker 'Machine Learning' will turn into something real.

                                    then we will have a big problem

                                    M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

                                      Soul has nothing to do with religion. Soul describes all the things we do not understand inside the human being we are, and for that it is only a word, that you can replace... It is true that over the human history the main explanations of the origin of the 'soul' came from religions and other philosophical materials, but it is still true that we have a - rather complex - part of our existence we do not understand... And no! We do not know better than a few thousands years before, what it is and what made of, and what for... As for today the most scientific explanation of the 'soul' is as good - or bad - as any, a religion came up with... The day someone will actually understand and explain it, the sticker 'Machine Learning' will turn into something real... And that one will became a deity in large parts of the world... :-)

                                      "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge". Stephen Hawking, 1942- 2018

                                      L Offline
                                      L Offline
                                      Lost User
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

                                      It is true that over the human history the main explanations of the origin of the 'soul' came from religions and other philosophical materials, but it is still true that we have a - rather complex - part of our existence we do not understand...

                                      There's no need to make up a story to fill the gaps. After dissecting, we never found a soul. When studying bacteria, we did not find a soul. It has as much chance at existing in your body as a nuclear fission-reactor existing in your body, and equal the amount of proof.

                                      Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.

                                      Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Z 2 Replies Last reply
                                      0
                                      • B Bram van Kampen

                                        Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

                                        Bram van Kampen

                                        Z Offline
                                        Z Offline
                                        ZurdoDev
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        Bram van Kampen wrote:

                                        I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist.

                                        What a grim look on life. :thumbsdown: :sigh:

                                        Bram van Kampen wrote:

                                        it has to do with Knowing.

                                        And I know that there is more after this life.

                                        Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other. Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it. Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.

                                        B 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • B Bram van Kampen

                                          Well Folks We all write programs. The question is: where do your efforts go, when halfway through a debug, your system locks up, and, the only way out is to re-start your computer. Your efforts evaporated, and, increased the entropy of the universe. The Human brain is an incredibly complex computer, which we have not yet mastered to fully understand. It is certainly not Binary. It has it's own system of messaging and information storage. We do not (yet) understand the precise details of the How, but, we can live with the concept. That magnificent but Ill understood Computer runs a program, that gives us our self awareness, our agency to make decisions, and, outside of our awareness, runs the power plant to keep us alive, the digestive system, etc. The concept of Information Technology is relatively New. Until recently, the concept of life with agency could only be explained by means of a Divine Spark of Life, given out by a God of local choice. Furthermore, that imagined spark of life would be eternal, and, Life should should go on somewhere after the demise of the body. A Heaven or Hell, dependent on the religion one practices. The concept of an 'Hereafter' goes back thousands of years. (and as Soul that somehow lives on beyond death) Well I would state that there is no such thing as a soul. When an individual dies, ultimately the Brain is Shut Down, and the information contained therein, goes to increase the enthrophy of the universe. The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

                                          Bram van Kampen

                                          N Offline
                                          N Offline
                                          Nathan Minier
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          Bram van Kampen wrote:

                                          The Concept of a Soul is a medieval construct to explain the things that at the time could not be understood. I think we are in a position to know better now. I for one am not afraid of dying. I will simply cease to exist. This has nothing to do with believing, it has to do with Knowing.

                                          These sound a hell of a lot like articles of faith to me, making you just another religious nut-job that refuses to embrace science. The distinction between faith and science is that science is, by definition, falsifiable. Faith, however, is "Knowing".

                                          "Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor

                                          Z L B 6 Replies Last reply
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