Posted by fachad on August 6, 2002, at 1:30:20
In reply to Re: Moving on? (Religious Status) » fachad, posted by Ritch on August 6, 2002, at 1:02:34
>Biology determines mentality, and mentality determines spirituality, and spirituality determines subjective reality? So is *that* subjective reality truly real?? :)
I would question the exact meaning of the word "determines" in the above.
Although spirituality <depends> on mentality, which depends on biology which depends on physics, I don't think that necessitates hard determinism or reductive materialism.
Even hardcore reductive materialists will admit "emergent properties" of life, mind, and consciousness - emergent properties being qualities more than the sum of all the component parts, and not present in any of the parts.
Far from questioning the reality of subjective experience, I think it IS reality, as directly apprehended by conscious awareness, and the only reality that you can ever really know. Certainly objective evidence and intersubjective confirmation are critical criteria for evaluating the validity of truth claims, but ultimately truth and reality are only experienced subjectively...
poster:fachad
thread:766
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20020715/msgs/772.html