Consciousness: Is it seperate from the human body?

[Jenny A]

First of all, if you are going to quote, me attribute me.

Sorry, friend. Didn't mean to anonymously quote you there. I'm still getting used to the tools in this messaging box lol.

---No problem you seem to have it figured out now.

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Seriously, there is no way to prove that the world we perceive is the actual world. But everyone except those who are insane acts as if it were absolutely the real world. This is a good example of the value of Occam's Razor: the simplest explanation with fewest assumptions is most likely correct. Although we don't see the world in all possible ways (we can't see radio waves, ultraviolet, etc. or see all of the world at once, or even all of it from earth) it introduces unnecessary complication to assume the we world perceive as filtered through are brains is an illusion even if we can speculate that there are parts of it we can't see as demonstrated by what we can additionally perceive through the use of tools.


You lost me here. The fact that we can't perceive it all through our senses as interpreted by our brains in no way suggests we are more than our brains. It simply shows that we are limited. We certainly don't understand the universe now. Thinking we are more than our brains won't help in that endeavor. Delusion is never helpful to understanding..

This is in some ways the great atheist/theist divide. I see no reason for assuming that because the universe vast and mysterious, that I and/or a god must be vast and mysterious.

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By that question I meant to draw attention to whether it is more delusional to assume that one day mankind will fully know all the secrets the universe holds, or that man will never know in this life?

I'm sure no single man will ever fully know the secrets to the universe, ever. Life is too short, and as far as we know there is only one short life apiece. I doubt mankind will ever fully figure it out either, but that's a little less delusional I guess.

And as you said before, "Thinking we are more than our brains won't help in that endeavor. Delusion is never helpful to understanding.." But I feel as though both sides are equally delusional in that case. Thinking that we will one day fully understand everything about this life, and thinking we will become more than everything in this life.

I never suggested we will one day fully understand everything about this life. I'm not sure where that idea comes from. I am, however, comfortable with not knowing everything about the universe or even the planet earth. More knowledge would be interesting and probably useful. But not knowing, doesn't cause me to look for magical or godly causes.

I agree, it's the great divide among us. And I can completely understand why you choose not to believe that I and/or god must be vast if the universe is. But on the flip side I also understand why some would believe that was indeed the case too.

Why for example, anyone believe a fish is vast because it lives in a vast ocean. Vast things are made of small pieces, but that doesn't make the pieces large. So no, I have no idea why anyone would think the vastness of the universe would make people in that vastness, vast.

God is a hypothesis I haven't found any evidence for. Adding him only complicates the vastness of the universe.