When many people think about what makes me, me (or them, them), it's all bound up in their mind and soul. The very essence of who and what each person is can be found in our intellectual and spiritual constitutions. This essence is tied to a body, but we often think of the body as merely an accessory.
Yet, we cannot exist without the body. Bodies can continue to live without any intellectual activity (i.e., people in a vegetative state). As far as we know, there may not be any spiritual activity either. The opposite cannot be proven. While there are many theories that a person can live once a body dies, there isn't any substantive proof that this belief is well-founded.
So, while we think of the soul as the central aspect of ourselves, the only thing we know for sure is that it's our body -- including our brains -- that makes you and me...you and me.
It's ironic, then, that we too often treat the body as a distant relative.
Yet, we cannot exist without the body. Bodies can continue to live without any intellectual activity (i.e., people in a vegetative state). As far as we know, there may not be any spiritual activity either. The opposite cannot be proven. While there are many theories that a person can live once a body dies, there isn't any substantive proof that this belief is well-founded.
So, while we think of the soul as the central aspect of ourselves, the only thing we know for sure is that it's our body -- including our brains -- that makes you and me...you and me.
It's ironic, then, that we too often treat the body as a distant relative.
It seems silly that if a “soul” truly existed that a stroke or Alzheimer’s could incapacitate people to the extent that it does. How can a soul lose memory? Obviously we are just components of the universe with “self awareness”, when our brain suffers trauma who we become is the new configuration.
ReplyDeletewell the body can only live without the intellect if it's completely dependent on machines and other people... without modern technology, it can't.
ReplyDeleteperhaps the mind can indeed live without (most functions of) the body, but we don't yet have the science for it. :)
just sayin'