I'll begin my analysis by making the premise that the soul and the brain are two separate entities. And to be clear, the current scientific establishment does not see it that way. Of course their contention is based upon evolution and has nothing to do with God. If you do not believe in God, then the soul - or mind - must have just evolved and is fully integrated with the brain. After all, if we can't see the soul, then it must not exist. It's just that simple. But is it?
If you look at the brain as being a complex biological computer, containing over 30 billion cells, then certain aspects of human or animal instincts and functioning can be included in the programming. On the other hand the human aspects of awareness, original thoughts and emotion, are much different. How can a computer be aware of itself, or have the emotions of achievement, appreciation for music and beauty, being in-love, grief for a loved one, or hope? The high speed calculating capabilities of a computer have little meaning if not guided by an inquisitor. For all intents and purposes the brain is a just a physical housing for interconnected neurons, that perform according the way they are programmed. As the computer/brain matures and alters its behavior because of encounters with the physical world, it is in effect adjusting to its environment and memories of past events - a form of artificial intelligence or self learning. It is not beginning a process of developing the feelings of achievement, love, and hope.It is my opinion that no self learning computer, regardless of how sophisticated, can ever attain this capability. Although computer based memories of encounters with the physical world, and learned subjects, are the data base for thinking and reasoning, they don't formulate the questions.
Consider this, if the mind is reduced to being a computer -- the physical brain -- feelings become chemical reactions, beautiful objects become light waves, and beautiful music is nothing more than vibrating molecules. How can a computer feel what it is analyzing? Is being in-love just a chemical reaction or is it something else? Is it the soul that is causing this emotion? What about decisions that you make? Are your decisions predetermined by a computer program, or do you have a free will to make a choice? If you have a free will to make a choice, then you can override the computer's decision. If your decisions are controlled by computer analyzed physical events, then you do not have a free will at all. What is the process that allows you to override the computer? Is it a soul?
Let's look at the soul and brain another way. I believe that the soul is unique to humans, and that animals do not have a soul. If animals don't have a soul, then how do their brains function? To begin let's assume that animals have instincts and bodily control functions programmed into their brains. In some cases animal instincts are so amazing that they are beyond human comprehension. Fish returning to their spawning location and birds flying south for the winter are mysterious examples of what I mean. Beyond instincts, is the ability to learn and react. Pavlov's dog is experimental proof that some animals can learn to perform in a certain way based upon stimuli. If a dog does something that the owner wants it to do, the dog gets rewarded with food and caring. With enough trials, the dog will repeat the desired action. The dog also connects its owner with food and caring. When the owner goes away the dog appears to grieve. When the owner returns the dog appears to be happy. Does this mean that the dog loves its owner, or is the dog just reacting to stimuli? To put this in human terms, how many times have you seen a male dog fall in-love with a female dog? Does the dog appreciate beautiful music? Does it prefer one color over another? Has it ever created anything? Does it show its owner that it can do new and better tricks than it had been taught? Does it worry about other dogs in its family? Does it exchange ideas with other dogs? Does it teach other dogs what it has learned? Does it have a desire to win a ball game, or does it just like to play ball? Have you ever seen a dog that was embarrassed? Have you ever seen a dog that was jealous? I don't know if this makes my point, but I think you will agree, that humans obviously have something that animals don't have. Is it a soul, or is it something that dogs will acquire if given enough time to evolve? If it is not a soul, then why didn't the evolutionary process favor dogs over humans? If this reverse case had happened, then dogs may have kept humans as pets. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs as pets, but if you believe that dogs are humans that just can't speak, it would be prudent to consider that your love for the animal may be clouding your judgment.
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