Those who believe in a spiritual world where god and the human soul reside presumably have in mind some process by which this world interacts with the physical world where our bodies exist and where we apply scientific method.  

When we have discussed free will it is clear that believers envisage the soul as the vehicle for exercising free will. Presumably physical brain activity plays some part in our behaviour but how does the soul exert control? How does the soul contend with physical influences such as brain damage, drugs and electro stimulation?

Similarly god acts upon the world. How does he influence physical processes? Again presumably the spirit world can presumably override the usual physical laws. In order to accomplish miracles god would have to subvert simple conservation laws and generate measurable energy. How does this mechanism work? Obviously I don't expect believers to be able to explain the ineffable workings of god in detail but the spirit world is not detectable by physical means and yet it can change the physical, believers must have some view as to how this happens. 

The problem for me is that we have tools to investigate the physical world, these tools are not much use when it comes to the spiritual world. It seems as if the spiritual world must 'trump' the physical world in that it can subvert the usual physical laws. When this happens there must be a clear boundary that can be observed. Obviously miracles resulting from the direct intervention of god are not that common and if they are I am sure that god would not tolerate being measured. However the exercise of freewill is a daily occurrence. As neuroscience becomes more sophisticated will we be able to detect where the physical leaves off and the soul takes over?

Discuss

User_roxn_44a1ec161

sciencesaves on May 27, 2008, 8:22 AM

Fascinating topic! I’m reading a book that I recommend regarding this subject.

“Skeptical Odysseys (Personal Accounts by the Worlds Leading Paranormal Inquirers)”

2001 Prometheus books, edited by Paul Kurtz

“This book brings together personal statements by the leading skeptics of the world that are dedicated to the critical evaluation of paranormal and spiritual claims in the light of scientific inquiry.”

A real eye-opener!

(Not recommended for the blind-faithful)

Default_normal

Musycks on May 27, 2008, 8:07 PM

HP.. nice effort sir.. I certainly don’t think too many of the faithful will give a toss about the mechanism by which their deity of choice peforms his tricks? but it’ll be interesting to see how they connect the dots.
like a vaudeville hypnotist… it’s all in the mind.

User_rsjh_7abf6fcfe

gfds fds on June 12, 2008, 7:26 PM

As to how God interacts with creation, you got me. I’ve absolutely no clue, but perhaps all observed miracles are of the thermodynamic type: the result of a chain of probabilities so unlikely that we call the results a miracle. And perhaps God being God and all works miracles by selective observation, breaking down waveforms in such a way that the result seems to us miraculous. Ok, that’s just a bunch of speculation. This question is one that I have asked myself and found no satisfactory answer.

About ideas of soul and spirit, I think that we use these words a bit too interchangeably and in American popular religion have very blatantly and incorrectly identified the identity of a person with some spiritual part of them.

Soul, as I understand it is most closely identified with mind—which is not exactly the same thing as brain. Brain is the physical thing with which we think, mind is system that emerges from the complexity of that brain. The system has the ability to think and feel, not the brain itself (in some ways this is just a recognition that a piece of brain does not think a part of a thought). I am not entirely clear on this, I have only studied emergent systems theory for a short time (so feel free to correct). Now in this sense, the mind or soul is not entirely a physical thing in the same way that the brain is, but neither does it exist in some spiritual realm.

I think that spirit on the other hand is that part of us that communes with God. And is somehow different, but that it does not directly effect the physical world. You could go Occam on me and cut it off and I would still be here.

As to mechanisms of communication, I am still in the dark. It makes no sense to me that some spiritual part of me would be able to communicate with a physical part of me. I have experienced it though. I have been told information before (you knew I was crazy, well here’s your proof) that was very specific. The information was later verified. You may say that this is coincidence and that I had a hunch that panned out, and you may be right. But this is how I interpret my experience.

I’m sorry I can be of no real help in answering your question.

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