^TagMaterialism

Stump of tree felled - section of the trunk with annual rings. Slice wood.

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post

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
September 25, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Consciousness, Materialism, Matter, mind, Minding the Brain (book), Robert J. Marks}

An Introduction to Minding the Brain

_{Is your mind the same thing as your brain? Or are there aspects of mind that are external to the biology of the brain?} _{Robert J. Marks

September 25, 2023

6

Philosophy of Mind}

Editor’s note: We are delighted to welcome the new book from Discovery Institute Press, Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science, edited by Angus J. Menuge, Brian R. Krouse, and Robert J. Marks. Below is an excerpt from the Introduction. Look for more information at MindingtheBrain.org. Is your mind the same thing as your brain? Or are there aspects of mind that are external to the biology of the brain? This question, referred to as the mind-body problem or the mind-brain problem, has been debated for centuries and has captivated curious minds since the dawn of human contemplation. What is the relationship between our mental life and physical body? Intuition suggests our subjective experience of the world is tightly Read More ›

View of universe with stars and amazing colorful and deep blue dark

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post

Author
Andrew McDiarmid
Date
September 21, 2023

Categorized
Physics

Tagged
Cormac McCarthy, Lawrence Krauss, Materialism, Mathematics, melissa cain travis, Physics, structure, Universe}

The Universe and its Mathematical Structure

_{Do humans project mathematics upon nature or vice versa?} _{Andrew McDiarmid

September 21, 2023

2

Physics}

This past June, we published an article featuring a conversation between physicist Lawrence Krauss and novelist Cormac McCarthy, where they discussed whether mathematics was “discovered or invented.” Robert J. Marks went on to write his own thoughts on the question shortly thereafter. If you’re further interested in mathematics and whether there is an actual correspondence between math and the natural world, consider watching new podcast episode featuring Dr. Melissa Cain Travis. Do humans project mathematical order onto nature? Or was it there all along? On a new episode of ID the Future, I conclude a three-part conversation with Dr. Melissa Cain Travis about her recent book Thinking God’s Thoughts: Johannes Kepler and the Miracle of Cosmic Comprehensibility. In Part 3, we look Read More ›

^{Type
podcast

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
September 21, 2023

Tagged
Consciousness, Joshua Farris, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Panpsychism}

What Makes Humans Unique?

_{Michael Egnor

September 21, 2023

1}

What makes humans unique compared to the rest of the natural world? Can strict materialists answer that question? In today’s podcast episode, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor speaks with Dr. Joshua Farris on the idea that human beings are made in God’s image, the mystery of consciousness, and panpsychism. Additional Resources

Beautiful woman looking at self reflection in mirror.

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podcast

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
September 14, 2023

Tagged
Immaterial Substance, Joshua Farris, Materialism, Michaeal Egnor, mind, Theism}

The Person as “Immaterial Substance”

_{Michael Egnor

September 14, 2023

1}

Is there substantial evidence that we are more than our bodies? And does that point to the existence of God? Theological anthropologist Dr. Joshua Farris thinks so. In this podcast episode, Farris speaks with host and neurosurgeon Michael Egnor to talk about materialism, mind, and theism, as well as Farris’ new book: The Creation of Self. Additional Resources

AI, Machine learning, Hands of robot and human touching big data of Global network connection, Internet and digital technology, Science and artificial intelligence digital technologies of futuristic.

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post

Author
David Hsing
Date
September 4, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Information Theory, intelligence, Machines, Materialism, Panpsychism}

Artificial Consciousness Remains Impossible (Part 1)

_{The cherished fiction of conscious machines is an impossibility} _{David Hsing

September 4, 2023

12

Artificial Intelligence}

This article is an attempt to explain why the cherished fiction of conscious machines is an impossibility. The very act of hardware and software design is a transmission of impetus as an extension of the designers and not an infusion of conscious will. The latter half of the article is dedicated to addressing counterarguments. Lastly, some implications of the title thesis are listed. Intelligence vs. Consciousness Intelligence is the ability of an entity to perform tasks, while consciousness refers to the presence of a subjective phenomenon. Intelligence[1]: “…the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment” Consciousness[2]: “When I am in a conscious mental state, there is something it is like for me to be in that state from the Read More ›

Prison. Prison wall with barbed wire. Law and justice

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 22, 2023

Categorized
Economics

Tagged
Acton Institute, Christianity and Communism, Creativity, Determinism, Discovery Institute, free will, George Gilder, Life After Capitalism (book), Martin Luther King Jr, Materialism, Paul Tillich, religion, Samuel Gregg, Social Justice}

Martin Luther King Jr. on the Failures of Communism

_{The great advocate for justice saw, as George Gilder does, why materialism fails us} _{Peter Biles

July 22, 2023

3

Economics}

Technology futurist and economist George Gilder has a new book called Life After Capitalism. One of Gilder’s main points in the book is that knowledge is wealth; with increased human ingenuity comes advanced economic growth, but that’s all dependent on the recognition that mind, not matter, is preeminent, and is essential for the flourishing of society and culture. I’ve been reading some essays of the great social justice advocate Martin Luther King, Jr., and came across a piece he wrote on the failures of Communism as a worldview and political system. His comments sound remarkably akin to Gilder’s views on mind and materialism. Listing his first objection to Communism, King writes, First, Communism is based on a materialistic and humanistic Read More ›

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 8, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
IAI News, Materialism, Micrographia, Peter West, Philosophy, Physicalism, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Physics, Reality, Robert Hooke, Stephen Hawking}

Can the Quantum Realm Explain Reality?

_{If we can uncover the smallest quantum particles in nature, will we have uncovered the fundamental secrets of reality?} _{Peter Biles

July 8, 2023

3

Philosophy, Science}

If we can uncover the smallest quantum particles in nature, will we have uncovered the fundamental secrets of reality? A longstanding philosophical tradition in the sciences claims “yes.” Uncovering the mystery of the world lies in the ability to interrogate the smallest of the small. But is that the right way to approach it? What special status does the tiny have over the large? A paper at IAI News by London philosopher Peter West argues that reality can’t in fact be elucidated simply by observing quantum mechanics. He talks in some length about the 17th century text Micrographia by Robert Hooke, which features various images of insects and other organisms under the microscope. West notes that Hooke set the stage, Read More ›

Adorable little girl shopping for toys. Cute female in toy store. Happy young girl selecting toy

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post

Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
July 3, 2023

Categorized
Natural Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Atheism, Cause and effect, children, Electricity, intelligence, Kids, Mass and energy, Materialism, Matter, science, Theism, Toddlers, Toy Store, Universe}

How a Toddler in a Toy Store Refutes Materialism

_{This everyday observation yields insight into a fundamental truth} _{Richard W. Stevens

July 3, 2023

5

Natural Intelligence}

I’m a magnet for materialists. I often get into discussions with people who tell me that the universe is nothing but matter and energy. These folks believe in materialism. They say I’m nutty and wrong to think there is anything else. Something like: “Silly theist! Gods are for kids!” Let’s follow that thought. A grandparent of 11 humans, I’ve journeyed with their parents through the young ones’ toddlerhood many times. There’s a lot to learn about reality from toddlers’ learning and growing. It leads to understanding Toddler Truth. Take a toddler to a game arcade, a toy store, or another kid’s house to play. There’s one thing you can count on hearing: “I want that!” We parents start tuning out Read More ›

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 25, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics, Science

Tagged
Charles Darwin, Cormac McCarthy, El Paso, Evolution, fiction, Lawrence Krauss, Materialism, Mathematics, novels, Physics, Santa Fe Institute, science, Stella Maris, The Passenger}

Is Mathematics an Illusion? Lawrence Krauss and Cormac McCarthy Discuss

_{McCarthy asked, "Would mathematics be here if we weren't?"} _{Peter Biles

June 25, 2023

3

Mathematics, Science}

In December, physicist and author Lawrence Krauss interviewed the late American novelist Cormac McCarthy, who died on June 13th at the age of 89 in Santa Fe, N.M. McCarthy is famous for his remarkable fictional works like The Road and Blood Meridian, but he was also deeply fascinated with mathematics and science. Apparently, he enjoyed reading science more than he did fiction! He moved to Santa Fe from El Paso to be closer to the Santa Fe Institute, a science think tank where McCarthy would spend time speaking with various physicists, scientists, and mathematicians. His latest two novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris, are about a brother and sister who are both brilliant mathematicians. Towards the beginning of the interview, Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
June 20, 2023

Categorized
Science

Tagged
calculus, Chrysler Building, David Berlinski, Evolution News, Materialism, Quantum Physics, science, Technology, Tower of Babel}

Science After Babel

_{Read an excerpt of a new book by mathematician and philosopher David Berlinski} _{News

June 20, 2023

6

Science}

By David Berlinski Editor’s note: We are delighted to welcome Science After Babel, the latest book from mathematician and philosopher David Berlinski. This article is adapted from the book’s Introduction. The scientific revolution began in the 16th century, and it began in Europe. No one knows why it happened nor why it happened where it happened, but when it happened, everything changed. Until the day before yesterday, the imperial architects of the scientific revolution were well satisfied and sleek as seals. An immense tower was going up before their very eyes. The physicists imagined that shortly it would reach the sky; the biologists were satisfied that it had left the ground; and only the theologians were heard to observe that it Read More ›

Catch the star. A person is standing next to the Milky Way galaxy pointing on a bright star.

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 3, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Human exceptionalism, J.P. Moreland, Materialism, mind-body dualism, Philosophy, Progress, Reality, science, Technology, theology}

A Return to the Reality of the Soul

_{Materialism has depersonalized the universe, but the evidence for the soul remains} _{Peter Biles

June 3, 2023

5

Philosophy}

Contemporary Western culture is disillusioned. Under the mainstream narrative of materialism, moderns struggle to connect their lives with a transcendent meaning beyond the self. In the United States, we enjoy a level of privilege and wealth foreign to the majority of prior generations, and yet we see “deaths of despair,” frightening rates of anxiety and depression, and heightened political tensions. None of this is news to you, I’m guessing. I’ve personally written a variation of that paragraph in other articles a number of times. The question behind our collective disillusionment is, frankly, why? Why do we struggle to make something of our lives? Why do we enjoy technological and scientific progress but lack the moral and cultural means to enjoy Read More ›

The beam of light in the path of the magic forest

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 28, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy, Religion

Tagged
AI, Christianity, Enlightenment, Harry Potter, Magic, Materialism, Morality, Occult, Peter Biles, rationality, religion, The New Atlantis, transhumanism}

The Rational Magicians

_{Can real meaning be experienced in a godless world? The postrationalists are trying} _{Peter Biles

May 28, 2023

4

Philosophy, Religion}

In the era of scientific enlightenment, progress, and technological sophistication, “magic” might be the last word one might use to describe the activity of modern Western culture. We live in an age of reason, not superstition. Right? The old world of myth, mystery, and religion is holed away in museums and cathedrals; these are relics of an admirable but outdated generation. After Reason In a fascinating new article from The New Atlantis, writer Tara Isabella Burton writes about the “postrationalists,” an Internet subculture disillusioned with the technocratic rationalism of Silicon Valley and in search of a sense of the mystical and divine. “Reason,” or the modern conception of it, has left the postrationalists disappointed. Neither, however, are they flocking to Read More ›

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 23, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
Book, J.P. Moreland, Materialism, Mind-Brain Distinction, Philosophy of Mind, substance dualism, Wiley Blackwell}

The Ultimate Defense of Substance Dualism

_{Philosopher J.P. Moreland is the co-author of an upcoming tome in defense of the soul} _{Peter Biles

May 23, 2023

3

Philosophy}

For decades, materialism has dominated the philosophical conversation. Before the 19th and 20th centuries, however, such a worldview was largely untenable. Most thinkers accepted the reality of both the body and the soul, the physical and the immaterial. What happened? And why do we see the resurgence of a fascination with consciousness and panpsychism, and a renewal of belief in the soul? Philosopher J. P. Moreland, a Fellow of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture and the author of dozens of books, has an upcoming book dealing with exactly these questions. It is The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism (Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2023). Dr. Moreland, a professor at Biola University, is co-author with Brandon Rickabaugh, who is Read More ›

A room with round glass window overlooking beautiful landscape background . Hotel futuristic showroom with modern interior . Sublime Generative AI image .

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post

Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
April 10, 2023

Categorized
Transhumanism

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Atheism, Christianity, Easter, Eastern Orthodox, Materialism, Nihilism, religion, Technology, transhumanism, Wesley J. Smith, Wesley J. Smith on transhumanism}

Transhumanism’s Vain Search for Immortality

_{Transhumanism promotes its own defeat-of-death eschatology} _{Wesley J. Smith

April 10, 2023

2

Transhumanism}

April 9th was Easter Sunday for the Western churches. Next Sunday, for Eastern Orthodox churches. For believing Christians, whether Eastern or Western, celebrating Christ’s Resurrection joyfully commemorates the permanent defeat of death and entrance into eternal life. Transhumanism, which is a quasi-religion that worships at the altar of technology, promotes its own defeat-of-death eschatology. Instead of the New Jerusalem for which Christians yearn, transhumanists hope to live indefinitely — if not forever — in the corporeal world through the wonders of AI and other human-invented methods of technologically defeating death. And it could be here by 2050! From the Daily Mail story: Despite the setback, that same year, a prominent futurist predicted that ‘electronic immortality’ would be available to humans by 2050. Dr Read More ›

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
March 28, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Technocracy

Tagged
C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Materialism, Michael Aeschliman, Scientism, virtue}

Michael Aeschliman on C.S. Lewis and Scientism

_{Aeschliman observes how technological progress and scientific mastery, when it isn't wedded with virtue and moral knowledge, wreaks havoc} _{Peter Biles

March 28, 2023

5

Arts & Culture, Technocracy}

Michael D. Aeschliman first wrote The Restoration of Man: C.S. Lewis and the Continuing Case Against Scientism in 1983. It was praised as a remarkable achievement upon its arrival by eminent writers and thinkers like Russell Kirk, Malcolm Muggeridge, and George Gilder. Discovery Institute Press published an expanded and updated edition of the book in 2019, and a recent podcast episode featuring Aeschliman piqued my own interest in the book. Aeschliman writes on the advent of “scientism,” the belief that science is the only viable path to knowledge and should therefore be esteemed above all other disciplines. Such a view leads to the reckless moral relativism and “will to power” that arguably brought about the bloodbaths of the twentieth century, Read More ›

The surface of Venus, the irregularities of the planet. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
March 23, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Andy Weir, C.S. Lewis, Enchantment, Fantasy, Mars, Materialism, Outer Space, Perelandra, Science fiction, Technical science, Technology, That Hideous Strength (book), The Chronicles of Narnia}

C.S. Lewis and Science Fiction

_{Sci-fi can reveal that you don't necessarily need to visit Mars to find the bizarre and beautiful} _{Peter Biles

March 23, 2023

4

Arts & Culture}

The 20th-century intellectual, novelist, poet, and popular theologian C.S. Lewis was a rare bird. He spent most of his life embedded in the academic world, to which he contributed greatly, but was also a lover of fairy tales and the dystopian. His long-held affection for fantasy and science fiction led him to write some of the most popular fictional works in recent memory, most notably The Chronicles of Narnia and what’s commonly known as the “space trilogy,” though Lewis himself objected to the term “space” as an adequate descriptor of what he viewed as a vibrant and meaningful cosmos. In a more obscure Lewis title, Of Other Worlds, Lewis writes of his appreciation for science fiction and what makes the Read More ›

Conceptual art, concept of problem mind psychology freedom and solution, surreal painting, jigsaw puzzle on human head.

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post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
March 8, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Catholicism, Consciousness, Darwin, Evolution, free will, Materialism, Matter, Michael Egnor, mind, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, reason}

Kenneth Miller on Consciousness and Evolution

_{Despite Miller's claims, neither human reason nor free will evolved because neither are generated by material processes} _{Michael Egnor

March 8, 2023

8

Philosophy of Mind}

Kenneth Miller is a biologist at Brown University who has been very active in his written and vocal support for Darwin’s theory of evolution. He’s neither a materialist nor an atheist – he is a Catholic, and in being one of the rare Darwinists who doesn’t subscribe wholeheartedly to the materialist/atheist paradigm, he allows himself to be used as a token theist by the Darwinists. It helps his career, no doubt, but doesn’t advance the truth. Not an admirable place to be. Miller’s New Book and What it Misses In his 2018 book The Human Instinct: How We Evolved To Have Reason, Consciousness, and Free Will, Miller manages a feat uncommon even for Darwinists – even the title of the Read More ›

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post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
March 6, 2023

Categorized
Free will

Tagged
Aristotle, brain, causation, free will, Materialism, Matter, mind, Sean Carroll}

Sean Carroll: “How Could an Immaterial Mind Affect the Body?”

_{The well known physicist thinks free will is nonsense. But has he investigated the classical understanding of causation?} _{Michael Egnor

March 6, 2023

5

Free will}

Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist at Johns Hopkins University who takes an atheist and materialist philosophical perspective on nature and on science. I have disagreed with him often — I’m in no position to judge his scientific acumen, but his philosophical acumen leaves a lot to be desired. An example of this is a question he asks in a recent documentary about free will (which I haven’t watched yet). In the trailer for the movie, Carroll asks, How in the world does the immaterial mind affect the physical body? Carroll’s denial of libertarian free will is based on this question, and of course, he believes that the immaterial mind does not exist and, if it did exist, could not Read More ›

Law of Universal Gravitation education funny concept. Isaac Newton under an apple tree

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post

Author
Eric Holloway
Date
January 31, 2023

Categorized
Physics

Tagged
Atoms, brain, Democritus, Ghosts, gravity, Isaac Newton, machine, Materialism, Matter, mind, Mind Brain, Particles, Physics}

Blinded by a Defunct Theory

_{The "interaction problem" is everywhere we look in physics, but the dogma of materialism remains} _{Eric Holloway

January 31, 2023

5

Physics}

Materialism. What a weird word. It sounds like a ghost, materializing in front of me. And it is sort of like a ghost, one that has mysteriously taken over the minds of many intelligent people. Because they believe in materialism, these smart people don’t believe in ghosts. Especially the ghost in the machine. The problem is there is no way for the ghost to interact with the machine. This is known as the “mind-body interaction problem”. The great thing about materialism is at least that theory doesn’t have an interaction problem. Any material thing can interact with any other material thing. Yet there is a deep irony. Let’s explore the idea of materialism to see why. Materialism is the idea that reality only consists of matter. Read More ›

Aerial view of Frankenstein Castle in southern Hesse, Germany

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 7, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

Tagged
Andrew Klavan, Arts & Culture, Daily Wire, Featured, Frankenstein, Literature, Machines, Mary Shelley, Materialism, Romanticism, science, Science fiction, transhumanism, Wordsworth}

The Prophecies of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

_{Andrew Klavan explores the world of the Romantics in new book and finds special insight in Shelley’s classic horror story} _{Peter Biles

January 7, 2023

4

Arts & Culture, Transhumanism}

Andrew Klavan, acclaimed novelist and host of the Andrew Klavan Show at the Daily Wire, wrote a book about his profound encounters with the Romantics of the 19th century, called The Truth and Beauty: How the Lives and Works of England’s Greatest Poets Point the Way to a Deeper Understanding of the Words of Jesus. The Romantics include literary figures like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and John Keats. While it’s common to highlight the Romantics’ veneration of nature, they were also living in the throes of the Enlightenment, in which atheistic materialism was becoming a minority alternative to theism. Klavan writes, “The wonderful success of science at explaining the material world threatens to create in scientists a bias towards Read More ›