Nature of Humanity

I know thats a ton of questions, but I'm interested in hearing opinions.Doulos

Hi Doulos,

In regards to the Soul, I draw my conception of it from Chinese metaphysics. The soul (Hun) is that which transcends a single physical life and continues to explore and learn (evolve). These acquired skills that are passed from one physical life to the next are sometimes called innate, natural, instincts, or inherited characteristics.

Chinese metaphysics also describes other aspects of the human including:

1) Shen: the spark of life, that which connects to the Universal consciousness

2) Yi: creativity, awareness

3) Zhi: Will, gives us direction

4) Po: the physical life

Hope this gives a brief perspective on my concept of human life.

Rich

So in your view then humanity makes progress over time much like technology? Becoming more creative, skillful, and better narrowing which characteristics are favorable? A type of personality darwinism if you will.

So If that doesn't totally misrepresent your position, which I acknowledge it might, does the world improve over time?

If given enough time as a species could we be born with significantly more skills than we have currently as infants (Basically nothing, sucking is about it)?

I only ask because I was just writing about Christian Annihilationism.

In this view what is the body? Is it just a carcass that rots and is of no significance? Does it carry a value? Is it helpful or a hindrance? Is the goal ultimately to shed it and reach some true form/potential? Or is that true form reached while enfleshed?

Certainly this is one way to look at it. Itzhak Bentov calls it the evolution of the central nervous system.

I would use a more neutral sounding evolve. Improve has a sense of better and I am not sure I would describe it as such. But change - yes.

That would be expected. There are child prodigies with advanced skills for their age. I have noticed that children pick up things in school nowadays much faster than I did when I was young.

This is a new concept for me. I looked it up in Wikipedia.

In my world view, the body is the instrument of exploration, creation, learning and evolution. This is why the soul seeks to maintain its health. This would be the Chinese Po. It think the parents who provided the body and the physical body itself should be celebrated and taken proper care of. Chinese metaphysics also celebrates the physical form for what it provides and there are many health practices to maintain its good health.

Recently I read Nancy Murphy's "Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies" in which she argues, rather well I think, that humans do not have souls. Let me say that again, that humans, DO NOT have souls. She argues that the idea of the soul is derived from being unable historically to explain things that the field of neuroscience is getting closer to explaining. Obviously I'm not going to do her argument justice in a post, but it is worth a read. She says "If we recognize that the soul was originally introduced into Western thought not from Hebraic Scripture but as an explanation for capacities that appeared not to be explainable in biological terms, then we can certainly say that for scientific purposes the hypothesis has been shown to be unnecessary."(Pg 69)


She winds up arguing for a "Non-reductive physicalist" position, which suggests that humans have higher capacities (ability to interact with God, rationality, morality, etc.) but these are a result of our something within our physical bodies or our interpersonal relationships rather than some immaterial soul. She says "In part they are explainable as brain functions, but their full explanation requires attention to human social relations, to cultural factors, and, most importantly, to our relationship with God."(70)


So the question I pose for you readers is this: What is the nature of humanity? Are we only material, and if that is the case are we able to interact with God (assuming He exists?), are we actually moral or is the goodness in the world a biological imperative for the survival of the species? If we are dualistic, or even tripartite, What are the identifiable parts? Are we essentially one of them? If the body dies are we still "us"? Are we essentially a Soul that is temporarily enfleshed, or do we require the body to be complete?


I know thats a ton of questions, but I'm interested in hearing opinions.


Doulos

You have the species which is a community of animals of similar distinction which are all evolving toward their survival. Then within the speicies you have what I call "families" for lack of a better word. The families are groups of animals within the species which fall under an even more distinct group based off of their bodily functions, genetics or their brain works.