The Soul

[max-greece]

Leaving aside the fantasy of the soul there is something peculiar that's bugging me:

15 years ago I was me.
I am still me today.

But that me of 15 years ago and I do not have a single cell in our bodies in common. Every single one has been replaced. That's weird when you think about it.

[houseofcantor]

Leaving aside the fantasy of the soul there is something peculiar that's bugging me:

15 years ago I was me.
I am still me today.

But that me of 15 years ago and I do not have a single cell in our bodies in common. Every single one has been replaced. That's weird when you think about it.

It gets really weird when you research it:

Recent evidence indicates that DNA methylation may serve as a contributing mechanism in memory formation and storage. These emerging findings suggest a role for an epigenetic mechanism in learning and long-term memory maintenance and raise apparent conundrums and questions. For example, it is unclear how DNA methylation might be reversed during the formation of a memory, how changes in DNA methylation alter neuronal function to promote memory formation, and how DNA methylation patterns differ between neuronal structures to enable both consolidation and storage of memories.

~from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20975755/

[Simon Moon]

Your body consists of Billions of cells
Why do you think that you are a "One" person?

According to non-creationists those cells are only matter, how can matter have a conscious and feel all together as a single person?

The only logical answer will be:
Another "non-matter" deity exists and controls those cells

A Soul

What utter crap. And it is nothing but an unsupported assertion.

People can have relatively minor brain damage and have their entire personality reset. My aunt is a perfect example. After hitting her head in a fall, she went from being the nicest person anyone would want to meet, to a paranoid, angry woman in a couple of weeks. Did her soul change?

There have been cases where an epileptic has had split brain surgery, creating 2 complete personalities. There's a pretty famous case where one personality is a theist, and the other is an atheist. Do split brain patients get another soul, one for each personality?

There are also cases of human chimeras. When still in the womb, one twin fetus will reabsorb the other one. The twin that is born will have the DNA or both twins. What happened to the 2nd soul? Was it recalled by 'god'?

So, what you are asking us to believe, is that people can have minor injuries and have their entire personality reset, drastically different multiple personalities or even completely turned into a vegetable.

Yet, you are claiming there is something that is able to survive this damage in these people that, at death, when the brain completely stops working, is able to 'lift off' the non working brain, and is able to survive.

And you are making this claim without any evidence ever observed that consciousness can exist without a physical brain.

You've got some major hurdles to clear for your claim to be taken seriously, and you haven't even put on your track suit yet.

[The Valkyrie]

Your body consists of Billions of cells
Why do you think that you are a "One" person?

According to non-creationists those cells are only matter, how can matter have a conscious and feel all together as a single person?

The only logical answer will be:
Another "non-matter" deity exists and controls those cells

A Soul

Your definition of logic and that of the majority of other people appears to be different.

[Darkstar]

But that me of 15 years ago and I do not have a single cell in our bodies in common. Every single one has been replaced. That's weird when you think about it.

Actually, your brain cells do not get replaced. For the most part, they will stay for your entire lifetime unless killed.
http://www.brainfacts.org/about-neurosci...w-new-ones

As for the OP, I don't have much to add at the moment that hasn't already been said. My old church taught that animals don't have souls (maybe that doesn't apply to Islam or isn't universal even in Christianity), but in the event it does apply, then why can animals exhibit complex behaviors without a soul? And why do they have brains that function on the same principles as our own?

[Vegamo]

I'm guessing it's prohibited to watch the walking dead in Islam? Because it's all about the brain buddy, connected to your spine. Break your back and you'd realize you can't walk anymore, why? Because your back is part of your Brian.

[houseofcantor]

But that me of 15 years ago and I do not have a single cell in our bodies in common. Every single one has been replaced. That's weird when you think about it.

Actually, your brain cells do not get replaced. For the most part, they will stay for your entire lifetime unless killed.
http://www.brainfacts.org/about-neurosci...w-new-ones

There's some evidence for neurogenesis and perhaps more for neuroplasticity which makes "the renewable you" essentially true.

[Whateverist]

Multicellular animals like ourselves are fricking amazing. All those individual cells submerging their interests into that of the collective. Even more mind boggling is to think of how each new zygote assembles a complete creature, with cells of just the right kind in each location for each purpose.

Therefore ... nothing. It is and remains amazing but we can no more attribute it to a genie than we can create a functional, multicellular creature from scratch. We're just not that smart yet. Invoking magic to 'explain' the miraculous is equally lame.

[max-greece]

Actually, your brain cells do not get replaced. For the most part, they will stay for your entire lifetime unless killed.
http://www.brainfacts.org/about-neurosci...w-new-ones

There's some evidence for neurogenesis and perhaps more for neuroplasticity which makes "the renewable you" essentially true.

Thanks for that. I had better stop basing my questions on "facts" I learned from QI.

[houseofcantor]

Multicellular animals like ourselves are fricking amazing. All those individual cells submerging their interests into that of the collective. Even more mind boggling is to think of how each new zygote assembles a complete creature, with cells of just the right kind in each location for each purpose.

Therefore ... nothing. It is and remains amazing but we can no more attribute it to a genie than we can create a functional, multicellular creature from scratch. We're just not that smart yet. Invoking magic to 'explain' the miraculous is equally lame.

Buncha chaos theory, geometry, and emergence for me...

There's some evidence for neurogenesis and perhaps more for neuroplasticity which makes "the renewable you" essentially true.

Thanks for that. I had better stop basing my questions on "facts" I learned from QI.

There isn't much of a problem of where you get your "facts" from as long as you're willing to revise what you consider "factual" with new evidence. I mean, ya gotta start somewhere.