The realms

[pocaracas]

I think I mentioned this idea somewhere before, but I'd like to just leave it explicit here.
It seems that one may divide a given worldview into a few realms.
The Physical Realm - Composed of the Universe, all measurable physical activity, energy and mass.
The Mental Realm - Composed of thoughts, ideas, concepts, emotions. Such as math, beauty, fiction, etc...
The Divine Realm - Where god(s) dwell. Also angels, souls, etc...


The theist worldview claims that the Divine Realm spawned both the Physical and Mental Realms. The Divine Realm always was and always will be.
Something like:
- Divine Realm
-- Mental Realm
-- Physical Realm


The atheist doesn't acknowledge this Divine Realm and proceeds to make sense of the theist worldview by switching the order of events a bit.
The Physical Realm spawned the Mental Realm and this one spawned the Divine Realm. This means that the Divine Realm is a part of the Mental Realm.

- Physical Realm
-- Mental Realm
-- -- Divine Realm

What caused the Physical Realm? I don't know. I don't think anyone knows and I doubt anyone will ever know.

[jonb]

Think about kinetic energy, is it part of the physical realm, or as it is only potential, is it not of this realm. Just because you can divide things in a particular way does not mean you have chosen a relevant way to divide a thing.
Such as; there is me, that which is not me, and that which is not either of the other two categories. Would this be a useful way of dividing things?

[paulpablo]

Im not sure but i think i would argue everything is the physical realm, the brain is physical even though it is very very very very complex, giving the mental realm a realm of its own to me seems a bit like giving computer games a realm of their own. It isnt really seperate from the physical world because its so easily manipulated by physical things, like drugs or a bullet through the head. Emotions can be manipulated by testosterone or extasy or nicotine. Beauty is basically the brains reaction to percieved physical things for example locations, people or objects.
I dont know how the brain works but i think thats the best way i can explain what i mean. I think the human brain is in the physical realm because even though its the most complex physical structure in the known universe it still is a physical structure. This is going to sound even more complicated but i think if the brain was understood in ways that we cant even begin to understand, and we had equipment to see every little part of the brain all at the same time, we would be able to see what somone is thinking. Im not a scientist i dont know this for a fact just my suggestion.

[pocaracas]

Yes, I think the mental realm does require the physical as a substrate, but the order by which the "software" is written in the substrate, the information itself can be thought of as an abstract thing, independent of the substrate.