If there something about the human person that is beyond scientific understanding? Beyond the ability to be reduced to mechanics? I say yes, call it the mind body problem, or the hard problem of consciousness, I suggest that a man's inner life, his subjective experience of the world is such a reality. What is it like to be seer? Do I feel pain exactly like you? When I see the color blue do I see the exact same shade as you? Do I feel heartache or joy the exact same way as you? How can you know? How could this, even in principle, ever be known scientifically? Look at it another way - I did my best to care for my mother in her last years. Did I do that out of love or because I didn't want her to sign her insurance policy over to some one else? Can you ever really know my motivation? And if there is some aspect of the human person that can not be reduced to a purely materialistic explanation then does that not bode badly for materialism?
And interesting take on this comes from the atheist philosopher Thomas Nagel.
http://organizations.utep.edu/Portal.../nagel_bat.pdf
And interesting take on this comes from the atheist philosopher Thomas Nagel.
http://organizations.utep.edu/Portal.../nagel_bat.pdf
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