(May 5, 2013 at 3:12 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: My problem is not with atheism itself, but physical reduction. I think bridging the gap between mind and body is a serious philosophical issue. The mind-body problem still leaves something to explain. That is what I meant about undermining knowledge. You guys have stopped inquiry well before the reach of reason. You stance is not "I don't know" but rather "I do not care to know." A small part of the dilemma in the induction problem. You have given up and pretend that nothing more needs to be explained.
I had hoped someone would be able to contribute to my understanding by at least taking the problem seriously. A provocative thread title helps attract attention, but apparently that is the wrong strategy. It attracts the attention of the wrong type of critic. Being open minded, I find it conceivable, though unlikely, that a non-theistic solution could be found. If so I will return to my previous atheism. You cannot truly call yourselves freethinkers if you have stopped thinking.
The difference between us and the rest of the animals on this planet is that we are somewhat of a jack of all trades kind of animal. Basically our brain is a mash of a lot of survival, basic instincts that you would find in almost every animal. That's kind of what puts us on top of the food chain though, we are not the strongest of the animals. We out think and out maneuver them by knowing and copying them, the cats, the dogs, the birds, the reptiles, etc. It does not make special and magical. We're just a species with more functions. We're smarter, thus have the ability to survive longer than the rest.
