(February 20, 2015 at 8:47 am)Wychdoctyr Wrote: what does an atheist believe animates the body .... until it doesn't ?Firstly, as others have said, there's no 'atheist' position on this. There are no doctrinal tenets that describe what we have to believe or what we should accept to be true. Consequently, atheists can hold a wide variety of beliefs, some containing supernatural components. This variety is well represented on this board e.g. by our deist, spiritualistic or pagan (and more) members. You'll find impressive & highly informed discussions on the nature of consciousness elsewhere on the board, evidencing the variety of positions on this subject.
Personally, I don't consider this to be a matter of belief, I consider it to be a matter of my acceptance of scientific facts. All the evidence which exists demonstrates that the simple answer is 'biology, chemistry & physics', no supernatural components required. More specifically:
1. Food, water & air. These are the fuels that drive the chemical processes in our bodies. Remove any one of them and the body stops working; degrade their quality and the body performs sub-optimally and can suffer failure.
2. Neurology. Brains and nervous systems allow autonomic & motor control alongside the decision-making which gives purpose to those functions.
3. Cellular proliferation. Autonomous functions provided by the variety of cell types not only form the body but allow it to maintain itself (more or less).
4. Symbiotic relationships. Bacteria etc. without which our bodies wouldn't function properly, potentially leading to total failure.
Other atheists may disagree with me. On this board, you'll find that many people share my view but a good proportion think there's more to it than just the material.
Sum ergo sum
