There’s sufficient evidence that people experience what they call “ghosts” and “god” for me to believe that such experiences exist. I don’t think “ghosts” or “gods” are the cause of those experiences, however.
Well, yeah. The ability of humans to self-delude themselves is well-known, and of course mental illness exists as well.
It seems a little silly to say “I believe these experiences exist”; it almost sounds like you’re trying to imply that some greater force exists. It’s reminiscent of those people that say “well, I don’t believe in God, but there has to be something” as if they’d just uttered a profound statement.
It’d be silly to doubt that at least a small portion of the people reporting experiences believe they experienced whatever they said.
It seems a little silly to say “I believe these experiences exist”; it almost sounds like you’re trying to imply that some greater force exists. It’s reminiscent of those people that say “well, I don’t believe in God, but there has to be something” as if they’d just uttered a profound statement.
I’m not implying anything greater than the evolutionary forces that gave us our other quirks. The statement “well, I don’t believe in God, but there has to be something” may not be profound, but it’s mostly accurate. The “something” is most likely specific neural structures that cause religious experiences in people under the right conditions.
To further clarify, I think that some religious experiences are really experienced (e.g. they are not just false memories of experiences that didn’t happen) in the human brain and are not conscious self-delusion or self-deception. I think that all religious experiences have natural explanations that don’t require the participation of any agent more complex than a standard human.
Would you start believing in some greater force if someone demostrates to you that those experiences exist by guiding you through the experience?
This is very wishy-washy language. If there were enough evidence of a ‘greater force’ to make it worth believing, I would believe it. Naturally, that would have to be a lot of evidence.
How much different kind of spiritual experiences would you need to experience to drop your belief in materialism?
For future reference, you’d use “many” instead of “much” in your first sentence. Anyway, by materialism do you mean physicalism? As above, I would need an enormous amount of evidence to change my views in this case.
I spoke didn’t use the God word but spoke more generally about spiritual experiences, which you believe don’t happen.
This is very wishy-washy language. If there were enough evidence of a ‘greater force’ to make it worth believing, I would believe it.
The question is: How much evidence would you need?
If I understand your map of the world right, spiritual experiences like recalling past lifes shouldn’t exist? The people who make those reports didn’t really made those experiences.
If someone would guide you through recalling a memory of a pastlife that feels as real as the memories that you recall from your present life how much would that cause you to update?
If someone would guide you through recalling a memory of a pastlife that feels as real as the memories that you recall from your present life how much would that cause you to update?
Knowing how easily manipulable the human mind is, I wouldn’t weight that as very strong evidence, especially when it comes to subjective feelings. As an example, humans modify their memories all the time without really realizing it, as in the case of people who point fingers at the wrong crime suspect and decades later are proven wrong.
There’s sufficient evidence that people experience what they call “ghosts” and “god” for me to believe that such experiences exist. I don’t think “ghosts” or “gods” are the cause of those experiences, however.
The same could be said for giant waves.
Well, yeah. The ability of humans to self-delude themselves is well-known, and of course mental illness exists as well.
It seems a little silly to say “I believe these experiences exist”; it almost sounds like you’re trying to imply that some greater force exists. It’s reminiscent of those people that say “well, I don’t believe in God, but there has to be something” as if they’d just uttered a profound statement.
It’d be silly to doubt that at least a small portion of the people reporting experiences believe they experienced whatever they said.
I’m not implying anything greater than the evolutionary forces that gave us our other quirks. The statement “well, I don’t believe in God, but there has to be something” may not be profound, but it’s mostly accurate. The “something” is most likely specific neural structures that cause religious experiences in people under the right conditions.
To further clarify, I think that some religious experiences are really experienced (e.g. they are not just false memories of experiences that didn’t happen) in the human brain and are not conscious self-delusion or self-deception. I think that all religious experiences have natural explanations that don’t require the participation of any agent more complex than a standard human.
Beliefs have to pay rent.
Would you start believing in some greater force if someone demostrates to you that those experiences exist by guiding you through the experience?
How much different kind of spiritual experiences would you need to experience to drop your belief in materialism?
Exactly. When has a belief in god payed rent?
This is very wishy-washy language. If there were enough evidence of a ‘greater force’ to make it worth believing, I would believe it. Naturally, that would have to be a lot of evidence.
For future reference, you’d use “many” instead of “much” in your first sentence. Anyway, by materialism do you mean physicalism? As above, I would need an enormous amount of evidence to change my views in this case.
I spoke didn’t use the God word but spoke more generally about spiritual experiences, which you believe don’t happen.
The question is: How much evidence would you need?
If I understand your map of the world right, spiritual experiences like recalling past lifes shouldn’t exist? The people who make those reports didn’t really made those experiences.
If someone would guide you through recalling a memory of a pastlife that feels as real as the memories that you recall from your present life how much would that cause you to update?
Knowing how easily manipulable the human mind is, I wouldn’t weight that as very strong evidence, especially when it comes to subjective feelings. As an example, humans modify their memories all the time without really realizing it, as in the case of people who point fingers at the wrong crime suspect and decades later are proven wrong.