Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: November 21, 2024, 6:09 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Berkeley's argument for the existence of God
#25
RE: Berkeley's argument for the existence of God
(March 29, 2018 at 2:55 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote:
(March 29, 2018 at 2:50 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: Yes, but he asserts that by the premise, material (which if you think about is Opposite of immaterialism) has nothing in common with immaterial, and so there can't be a causal link. 

I think this is stronger then any argument I ever done so this guy is good Tongue  IT's very well thought of and presented well.

And I think I just further emphasized why that premise is completely true.

...except for the fact that the immaterial idea wouldn't exist if there wasn't a material brain to conceive of it.  Material, fleshy, pink brains are the source of ideas.  There's a direct necessity for the material brain in order for the immaterial conception to exist or matter.  A material brain is the necessary cause for ideas, as far as all the available evidence tells us.

But Berkeley would argue that we've never experienced a pink, fleshy brain directly... all we've experienced is the idea of a pink, fleshy brain...


@Khem

So, yeah, you have a system of firing neurons which cause the idea. If you are going to call those neurons (or the energy flowing through them) the idea, then, yes, then the idea takes up space and has mass. But even biological naturalists might disagree with the notion that the neurons are the actual idea. I don't want to say the word "qualia" too loudly because of recent controversies, but yeah... *whispers* qualia.

I think Berkeley's philosophy can be understood apart from neuroscience, regardless. Obviously he didn't know anything about it because neuroscience wasn't even a thing in his time. But he does have a point about ideas. All we ever know are ideas, and we never really "experience" material things. I'm pretty sure it's too airy fairy for you to take seriously, but he does say something interesting about the world we perceive.
Reply



Messages In This Thread
RE: Berkeley's argument for the existence of God - by vulcanlogician - March 29, 2018 at 3:10 pm

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  The modal ontological argument for God Disagreeable 29 1475 August 10, 2024 at 8:57 pm
Last Post: CuriosityBob
  Proving the Existence of a First Cause Muhammad Rizvi 3 935 June 23, 2023 at 5:50 pm
Last Post: arewethereyet
  The existence of God smithd 314 28303 November 23, 2022 at 10:44 pm
Last Post: LinuxGal
  Veridican Argument for the Existence of God The Veridican 14 2538 January 16, 2022 at 4:48 pm
Last Post: brewer
  A 'proof' of God's existence - free will mrj 54 8531 August 9, 2020 at 10:25 am
Last Post: Sal
  Best arguments for or against God's existence mcc1789 22 3601 May 22, 2019 at 9:16 am
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  The Argument Against God's Existence From God's Imperfect Choice Edwardo Piet 53 10038 June 4, 2018 at 2:06 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  The Objective Moral Values Argument AGAINST The Existence Of God Edwardo Piet 58 15762 May 2, 2018 at 2:06 pm
Last Post: Amarok
  Arguments for God's Existence from Contingency datc 386 52968 December 1, 2017 at 2:07 pm
Last Post: Whateverist
  A good argument for God's existence (long but worth it) Mystic 179 38003 October 26, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Last Post: Crossless2.0



Users browsing this thread: 6 Guest(s)