(November 12, 2018 at 2:48 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote:(November 12, 2018 at 1:59 pm)Everena Wrote: Fine, they prove nothing to someone like you. They have proven God to me and bilions and billions of others beyond any and all doubt.
Yeah and if you rewind the clock to ancient times, the generally flat appearance of the earth, "proved" earth's flatness. The fact that crops turned out poorly "proved" that they must have angered the the gods who brought the rain. They were mistaken about that. But if you took a poll in ancient times, most people would have agreed that angering the gods was the reason for bad weather. That doesn't make it true. It is bad reasoning to assume that it does. After all, there are far more plausible explanations for weather patterns, aren't there?
As far as your own mystical experiences, I'm trying to meet you halfway here. Others in the thread have argued that such experiences are reducible to brain activity, and (on this point) I agree with them. But where I disagree is that your experience ought to be dubbed meaningless on that account. For example, if I am in love with a woman, my experience can be explained by brain chemistry and neurotransmitters, sure. But that should have no bearing on my relation to the experience of love. There is an ontology there which is not reducible to chemistry. I have much the same attitude regarding mysticism. There is an ontology with mysticism that can and does supply significance to one's existence. But just because I experience love concerning a special woman does not mean I should argue that others should love her.
Why do I need to validate your God experience? Why does God need to be believed in? Love for a woman has carried me through dark times, and love for a woman has inspired me to be a better person. I'm pretty sure faith in God can supply similar provisions for your esteem. But I fail to see how imposing belief on someone who needs evidence is going to do them any good any more than my insisting that others highly regard the object of my affections. If God exists, let him convince us.
YOU SAID: if I am in love with a woman, my experience can be explained by brain chemistry and neurotransmitters, sure
My question is: brain chemistry and neurotransmitters that came to be how exactly?