I’m an atheist through and through, but the one thing I’m unsure about is consciousness.
We basically made zero progress in figuring out what it physically is, how to test for it or how it is created, despite every single one of us experiencing it first-hand every day of our lives. That might be a sign that our physical understanding of reality is just not equipped to deal with this question.
On the other hand, if it has physical consequences then it must measurably interact with the physical world, and maybe it emerges from the complex interactions in the brain somehow. I personally just cannot imagine how the thing I’m subjectively experiencing as myself could ever arise from “dead” atoms and molecules.
The main reason I think consciousness is just advanced firing of synapses in the brain is because drugs can impact it, surgeries can impact it, flaws in the system can impact it.
If it was anything more than physical, these things wouldn’t affect consciousness so easily.
Take those who have had their Corpus Callosum split. It’s widely viewed that patients with this procedure end up with two distinct consciousnesses communicating with each other (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7305066/) which suggests to me that consciousness must be nothing more than the effects of complex physical systems in our brains.
If it was anything more than physical, these things wouldn’t affect consciousness so easily.
We know that it changes perception and behavior, because those are the things we can measure. We have no idea if it affects consciousness, because we don’t even know what that is.
[…] which suggests to me that consciousness must be nothing more than the effects of complex physical systems in our brains.
The problem I have with these studies is that they all test the functions of the brain and its hemispheres, and then argue what the produced consciousness(es) could look like based on some preconceived notion of what a consciousness can an cannot do. But who says that one consciousness cannot make two different choices simultaneously for example? Ofc it’s the best we have right now and imo very interesting and important work, but it’s still nothing like actually “detecting” consciousness and analyzing its properties. The sad truth is that we still have no f*cking clue.
I know that this all sounds very ominous, but that’s kind of the point. Consciousness as I’d define it is not just the mechanical function of the brain, but the experience of being “present”.
I have been described as the least spiritual person various people have ever met. I think that’s accurate. I just don’t have a spiritual side.
Some people have treated me less than excellently as a result, with the notable exception of Buddhists (I immigrated to a predominantly Buddhist country).
I don’t believe any of their stuff, I find a lot of it superficial and against the core principles they preach… and they don’t seem to mind at all. I don’t have to hide what I think – I’m also free to discuss these matters (politely). Even with the monks.
Anyway, I’m a practical person. When the floods come, we fill sandbags together. I’m OK to volunteer at their events, and so on. The support is mutual and practical in nature.
None. I find them all so false and superficial, claiming to have all the answers but refusing to actually share any of them with the flock, saying “you must find the answers for yourself, trust in [religious whatever].” I’m like okay, so you’re admitting that you are superfluous to the search for meaning. Got it. Bye.
I had to think about this for a minute because I’m British and religion is just not a huge deal here so I don’t often think about it. Got some religious friends (mostly Americans but there are a few here too) but it’s just never really been a part of my life in a positive or a negative way.
My philosophy pretty much boils down to “we’re just here, roll with it” because anything else is essentially looking for meaning where it appears to not exist.
I wouldn’t call it support or comfort but I often think if there was reincarnation then everyone must eventually live every life, so those who are killing will also be the killed, we will all end up living the lives of those we despise too, and that would be fair.
Also I think about just how little we can perceive of the world and universe, we have techniques and senses to see this pinhole view, and mostly trust it, but it’s so much bigger and more complex than we can imagine or perceive.
It’s a nice pat way of thinking of things, but it presupposes some sort of justice or built-in meaning to the universe, when the real truth is that there is no inherent meaning to any of it. Meaning is an emergent property that evolves with the development of sapience.
I don’t believe it, really, just consider it whenever people talk about past lives. Just seems like either we are individual and a blip in time (acceptable to me) or we are a collective and cannot tell with our separate bodies and senses, we are all one happening. We evolved here on earth, many systems here have a distributed existence, intelligence, consciousness, whatever it is. I have had enough weird shit happen to me to question whether our current working model is correct. But don’t have the “gift of faith” at all, can’t really draw conclusions from my experiences.
I acknowledge the sense of community and belonging a religion can bring but I find the entire notion of believing in anything supernatural to be absurd.
I follow a pagan path (but I’m not Wiccan). I view it more as a spirituality than a religion since it isn’t organized or faith based. It just resonates with me. I wear witchy jewelry for personal comfort, maintain an altar at home (mostly for tarot, incense and meditation), love to study folklore and pagan practices in other parts of the world, celebrate the wheel of the year, and honor nature and the cosmos above all.
I grew up atheist and still consider myself one since I view gods as a reflection of the real world, akin to Mother Nature.
Haha I’m another atheist with an altar at home! Instead of religious symbols, there are framed pictures of ancestors.
Normally in Asia we worship at these altars (usually involving serving food and drinks), but I don’t do that. I just see it as a nice reminder of the memories I’ve had with all those people, and a connection to the past.
…although the idea you can crack open a beer with your ancestors from time to time is sort of neat.
Nihilism. Imagine there being no past nor future, but like a child in a waiting room for the abyss you’re given a paper and some crayons. Why wouldn’t you try to draw the greatest piece you could? And if something goes wrong, well it’s just a happy accident. It’s not like this matters anyway. That’s how I see my life. This mindset let’s me not stress over old mistakes, while still striving to be better. I don’t want to waste this metaphorical paper but it doesn’t matter what I do with it in greater whole, since there isn’t a greater whole.
You know, it makes so much sense, and I truly resonate with tbese ideas, but I’ve never been able to put them into practice. I’m still finding myself running 5 minutes late leaves me super stressed, even though I’m now at university where being late for a lecture literally does not matter, or at college, where for the last few months it really didn’t matter but I still couldn’t quite just relax. I’ve been trying to live a more stress-free life and this belief system really helps me do that, if only I could find a way to not hyperfocus on small and insignificant issues or mistakes. Stress has been hurting me, to the point where oftentimes I would find it difficult to keep my hand stillin the air, and it would just start slightly twitching, as if I have Parkinson’s.
That’s been my way as well so far. I’d be interested in how logic helps you cope with questions, such as where do we come from?, where do we go?, what is our purpose?. (Not playing devil’s advocate, real interest.)
Unless something some day suggests “this” is “all about” anything at all, it seems weird to me to try and imagine meaning where there’s no evidence of any 🤷♀️
No judgement on people who find that scary or take comfort in faith or whatever, we’re all different. Just doesn’t bother me.
I think those questions are great, but the answers will always lead to more questions. It is a journey in that regard which I suppose is logically driven. I think the best analogy is asking what is this table. It is made of wood and screws. What is wood made of…fibres. What are the fibre made of, carbon and other atoms. What was the atoms made of….etc. etc. Logic brings you closer to reality, but the closer you get, the more questions you will have which is one of the joys of life.
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