Mind/Body dichotomy: Our great nemeses?
Theology and philosophy are guardians of the human urge to separate itself as much as possible from its animal heritage and to move closer toward being god-like.
The overt effort of theology is to accentuate the misconceived mind/body dichotomy while the covert effort of philosophy is to accentuate this same mind/body dichotomy.
Theology does this legitimately because it believes that humans are both body and soul. The body is what we must put-up-with for our short stay on earth while the soul will last through eternity in an environment determined by our brief stay on earth.
I claim that philosophy does this illegitimately because it vainly wishes to be respected in the manner like mathematics or physics. Philosophy wants to use word symbols to describe truth in much the same way as math uses their particular symbols of equality, greater than, minus, plus, differential, exponential, etc.
It appears to me that analytic philosophy is being challenged by SGCS (Second Generation Cognitive Science) Philosophy in the Flesh 1999, by Lakoff and Johnson ; by meaning philosophy The Meaning of the Body 2007, by Johnson; by visual art Art and Visual Perception 1954, by Arnheim.
Some questions.
Wouldn't theology be a subheading of philosophy?
I do find it ironic that animals that have developed the means to conceive philosophical ideas would think up something as elaborate as theology that proudly attempts to separate us from what we really are whilst ever aspiring to move closer to the 'god-like' idea that is so primitive as to clearly demonstrate exactly what we are, Apes.
Wouldn't theology be a subheading of philosophy?
I do find it ironic that animals that have developed the means to conceive philosophical ideas would think up something as elaborate as theology that proudly attempts to separate us from what we really are whilst ever aspiring to move closer to the 'god-like' idea that is so primitive as to clearly demonstrate exactly what we are, Apes.
The overt effort of theology is to accentuate the misconceived mind/body dichotomy while the covert effort of philosophy is to accentuate this same mind/body dichotomy.
Surely mind and body are different only in as much as an arm differs from an ear? IMHO psychology is a specialised area of biology!
A soul at best is a useful shorthand metaphor that we use to communicate a load of complex biology and behavior that we may not understand very well intellectually but nonetheless appears common. There is no evidence that suggests to me the existence of an actual 'Soul' unless we again refer to the metaphorical to summarise perhaps the memory others have of the deceased or perhaps a lasting influence, physical records, writing, possessions, kin etc.
The suggestion that we have to 'put up' with arguably the most complex biological machine in the universe only adds weight to the criticism of theists that, despite appearing to aspire to be something 'better' one has to die in order to get it. And get what? An eternal life without the body that made you, you and feel alive?
A soul at best is a useful shorthand metaphor that we use to communicate a load of complex biology and behavior that we may not understand very well intellectually but nonetheless appears common. There is no evidence that suggests to me the existence of an actual 'Soul' unless we again refer to the metaphorical to summarise perhaps the memory others have of the deceased or perhaps a lasting influence, physical records, writing, possessions, kin etc.
The suggestion that we have to 'put up' with arguably the most complex biological machine in the universe only adds weight to the criticism of theists that, despite appearing to aspire to be something 'better' one has to die in order to get it. And get what? An eternal life without the body that made you, you and feel alive?
I claim that philosophy does this illegitimately because it vainly wishes to be respected in the manner like mathematics or physics. Philosophy wants to use word symbols to describe truth in much the same way as math uses their particular symbols of equality, greater than, minus, plus, differential, exponential, etc.
Again surely theology is just another form of philosophy? One that if what you say is true also vainly wishes to be respected in a manner not just like but greater than maths or physics due to the outrageous claims it makes for itself. It also uses symbols etc.
Am I missing something here?
QUOTE
Theology and philosophy are guardians of the human urge to separate itself as much as possible from its animal heritage and to move closer toward being god-like.
Wouldn't theology be a subheading of philosophy?
I do find it ironic that animals that have developed the means to conceive philosophical ideas would think up something as elaborate as theology that proudly attempts to separate us from what we really are whilst ever aspiring to move closer to the 'god-like' idea that is so primitive as to clearly demonstrate exactly what we are, Apes.
QUOTE (->
| QUOTE |
| Theology and philosophy are guardians of the human urge to separate itself as much as possible from its animal heritage and to move closer toward being god-like. |
Wouldn't theology be a subheading of philosophy?
I do find it ironic that animals that have developed the means to conceive philosophical ideas would think up something as elaborate as theology that proudly attempts to separate us from what we really are whilst ever aspiring to move closer to the 'god-like' idea that is so primitive as to clearly demonstrate exactly what we are, Apes.
The overt effort of theology is to accentuate the misconceived mind/body dichotomy while the covert effort of philosophy is to accentuate this same mind/body dichotomy.
Surely mind and body are different only in as much as an arm differs from an ear? IMHO psychology is a specialised area of biology!
QUOTE
Theology does this legitimately because it believes that humans are both body and soul. The body is what we must put-up-with for our short stay on earth while the soul will last through eternity in an environment determined by our brief stay on earth.
A soul at best is a useful shorthand metaphor that we use to communicate a load of complex biology and behavior that we may not understand very well intellectually but nonetheless appears common. There is no evidence that suggests to me the existence of an actual 'Soul' unless we again refer to the metaphorical to summarise perhaps the memory others have of the deceased or perhaps a lasting influence, physical records, writing, possessions, kin etc.
The suggestion that we have to 'put up' with arguably the most complex biological machine in the universe only adds weight to the criticism of theists that, despite appearing to aspire to be something 'better' one has to die in order to get it. And get what? An eternal life without the body that made you, you and feel alive?
QUOTE (->
| QUOTE |
| Theology does this legitimately because it believes that humans are both body and soul. The body is what we must put-up-with for our short stay on earth while the soul will last through eternity in an environment determined by our brief stay on earth. |
A soul at best is a useful shorthand metaphor that we use to communicate a load of complex biology and behavior that we may not understand very well intellectually but nonetheless appears common. There is no evidence that suggests to me the existence of an actual 'Soul' unless we again refer to the metaphorical to summarise perhaps the memory others have of the deceased or perhaps a lasting influence, physical records, writing, possessions, kin etc.
The suggestion that we have to 'put up' with arguably the most complex biological machine in the universe only adds weight to the criticism of theists that, despite appearing to aspire to be something 'better' one has to die in order to get it. And get what? An eternal life without the body that made you, you and feel alive?
I claim that philosophy does this illegitimately because it vainly wishes to be respected in the manner like mathematics or physics. Philosophy wants to use word symbols to describe truth in much the same way as math uses their particular symbols of equality, greater than, minus, plus, differential, exponential, etc.
Again surely theology is just another form of philosophy? One that if what you say is true also vainly wishes to be respected in a manner not just like but greater than maths or physics due to the outrageous claims it makes for itself. It also uses symbols etc.
Am I missing something here?
I claim that we humans created this dichotomy when we discovered that we are mortal. We could not accept this fact without great anxiety and thus created soul as a means for an after life and thus immortality.
Sinister
A good place to begin is to do a Google of theology and philosophy to get an idea of what these two concepts mean.
A good place to begin is to do a Google of theology and philosophy to get an idea of what these two concepts mean.
QUOTE (coberst+Oct 17 2009, 11:29 AM)
A good place to begin is to do a Google of theology and philosophy to get an idea of what these two concepts mean.
I'm right on that, but I don't know how to use Google.
I'm right on that, but I don't know how to use Google.
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