(July 3, 2018 at 11:02 am)Mathilda Wrote:(July 3, 2018 at 10:48 am)Jörmungandr Wrote: Has science disproved religious experiences? No. Has it called them into question? That's a different question. Why do you believe that science has had zero success toward that end? The popular view is that scientific evidence does a lot to impugn the reliability of religious experience as a way of interpreting reality. Do you feel that's wrong?
Or to reappropriate your reply ...
Has science proven that all forms of lightning are not due to the god Thor? No. Has it called their cause into question? That's a different question. Why would anyone believe that science has had zero success toward that end? The popular view is that scientific evidence does a lot to impugn the idea that thunder and lightning are created by Thor. Does Stevell feel that's wrong?
False analogy. Lightening is a natural phenomenon. Religious experiences are a supernatural phenomenon. Science only deals with the natural world, so scientific success can be measured in one and not in the other.
Quote:Of course no one nowadays believes that Thor is responsible for lightning storms because we have a far more plausible explanation for them. Science is in the process of doing the same with religious experiences. We're not there yet because brains are extremely complex but the more we learn the more we find out that they function as a purely mechanistic process.
Ignoring the question begging nature of that whole paragraph, I am aware of no progress on the mind/body dualism question. In fact, I think that stating that we are purely mechanistic is a belief that stems from metaphysical naturalism (philosophy) rather than actual science.