There
is a new scientific theory that recognizes life’s spiritual dimension.
The
idea of the soul is bound up with the idea of a future life and our belief in a
continued existence after death. It's said to be the ultimate animating
principle by which we think and feel, but isn't dependent on the body. Many
infer its existence without scientific analysis or reflection. Indeed, the
mysteries of birth and death, the play of consciousness during dreams (or after
a few martinis), and even the commonest mental operations – such as imagination
and memory – suggest the existence of a vital life force – an élan vital – that
exists independent of the body.
Yet,
the current scientific paradigm doesn't recognize this spiritual dimension of
life. We're told we're just the activity of carbon and some proteins; we live
awhile and die. And the universe? It too has no meaning. It has all been worked
out in the equations – no need for a soul. But biocentrism – a new ‘theory of
everything' – challenges this traditional, materialistic model of reality. In
all directions, this outdated paradigm leads to insoluble enigmas, to ideas
that are ultimately irrational. But knowledge is the prelude to wisdom, and
soon our worldview will catch up with the facts.
Of
course, most spiritual people view the soul as emphatically more definitive
than the scientific concept. It's considered the incorporeal essence of a
person, and is said to be immortal and transcendent of material existence. But
when scientists speak of the soul (if at all), it's usually in a materialistic
context, or treated as a poetic synonym for the mind. Everything knowable about
the "soul" can be learned by studying the functioning of the brain.
In their view, neuroscience is the only branch of scientific study relevant to
understanding the soul.
Question
Please
take some time to research the theory of biocentrism. After doing so, please
provide your thoughts on the idea of souls and if you think this concept is valid
or invalid and why. Are souls possible?
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