pop 0 #1 August 12, 2008 Like the Buddhists I’ll argue it’s on the 49th day after conception. Why…because by the 49th day you are either male or female. On the 49th day your pineal gland is also formed. Pineal gland , also known as the third eye due to the fact it contains retina in non-mammals, is responsible for your dreams as well as the visuals during the near death experience as a result of a fun little drug called DMT(sort of like the window to the other world). Anyone else ever give this a thought? If you ever argue for or against abortion I am sure you have. I say no abortion on day 49 or after. What do you think?7 ounce wonders, music and dogs that are not into beer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #2 August 12, 2008 when Barry White is played. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #3 August 12, 2008 I think that your question presupposes the "soul" exists. Something there is no evidence of at all.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pop 0 #4 August 12, 2008 QuoteI think that your question presupposes the "soul" exists. Something there is no evidence of at all. I would say that your soul is your mind. But I would also say that your mind and your brain aren't necesarily the same thing.7 ounce wonders, music and dogs that are not into beer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,989 #5 August 12, 2008 >I would say that your soul is your mind. In that case around week 12. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #6 August 12, 2008 I dont know but I been told A big legged woman aint got no soul. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #7 August 12, 2008 bill- So are neurons firing the same thing as having a "mind"? Neurons fire in an ant, but does that mean it has a "mind"?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #8 August 12, 2008 QuoteI think that your question presupposes the "soul" exists. Something there is no evidence of at all. What he said. I have no reason to believe there's such a thing as a "soul." Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #9 August 12, 2008 QuoteI think that your question presupposes the "soul" exists. Something there is no evidence of at all. Beat me to it. We're just a bunch of chemical and electrical impulses. When we die, we're just dead, period. There is no soul left over to go to heaven or hell. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #10 August 12, 2008 well, then what do you guys call it, if not a soul? Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #11 August 12, 2008 Quote So are neurons firing the same thing as having a "mind"? Neurons fire in an ant, but does that mean it has a "mind"? And anything with a nerve net (shrimp, earth worms), single axon (squid), or higher central nervous system would have a "soul" ... by that metric. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pop 0 #12 August 12, 2008 Quotebill- So are neurons firing the same thing as having a "mind"? Neurons fire in an ant, but does that mean it has a "mind"? Very good point. An ant is most likely not aware of itself as a self, where we as humans have that ability, An ant is a michine. It responds to stimulus. Humans dont have to have stimulus to respond. For example and animals fight or flight system is only turned on in the presence of danger, such as another animal trying to eat it. Humans have the ability through self awareness to anticipate danger, and that anticiaption in itself can turn on the fight or flight response withouth the actual presence of danger.7 ounce wonders, music and dogs that are not into beer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,989 #13 August 12, 2008 >So are neurons firing the same thing as having a "mind"? Neurons firing in an organized fashion, yes. You can have neurons firing without a mind, but you can't have a mind without a functioning and organized neural net. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darius11 12 #14 August 12, 2008 You know that sounds good to me man. IMHO without a soul we are just organic machinery Yes i do belive in a Soul. I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #15 August 12, 2008 Never. I believe that it's another fiction. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #16 August 12, 2008 seriously. If you guys don't like the word "soul", what is your word for it? Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #17 August 12, 2008 Quotewell, then what do you guys call it, if not a soul? What do we call what? Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #18 August 12, 2008 oh, I don't know: Your inner self. The part of you that you experience on the inside. What is your word for that, if not "soul"? Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #19 August 12, 2008 Quote oh, I don't know: Your inner self. The part of you that you experience on the inside. What is your word for that, if not "soul"? You mean my emotions, sensations, thoughts, memories, reactions, etc? I generally refer to them as my emotions, sensations, thoughts, memories, reactions, etc. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #20 August 12, 2008 so, are they all just disjointed bullshit noise to you, or do you have an inner sense of Self? Or maybe you're a Borg?From dictionary.com: soulless Adjective 1. lacking human qualities; mechanical: soulless materialism Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #21 August 12, 2008 Quoteseriously. If you guys don't like the word "soul", what is your word for it? Simple.... Life .... and ALL living creatures have it. The arogance of some that would suggest that Humans are somewhat special is just plain laughable. As John Rich said above.,,, we're a chemical reaction. When we're gone, we're gone. Just like a dead Ameba, Ant, Elephant, Monkey, Flower etc... etc... etc.. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #22 August 12, 2008 Quoteso, are they all just disjointed bullshit noise to you, or do you have an inner sense of Self? I think, like most people, I've developed a pretty normal (for humans) sense of "self." I think that this sense of "self" is mostly memory based (some things, like subconscious biological functions are "hard-wired" rather than memory based). I think every critter that has memories has a similar "self". Observably, this would apply down the chain of complexity from humans. My suspicion is that it also proceeds up the chain to critters with more complex structures and awarenesses than we can understand. I think when all memories are inaccessible, the "self" or "soul" or whatever you want to call this collection of memories ceases to exist. If we're going to refer to that collection as a soul, I'd say it starts developing sometime during infancy and continues growing and adapting our entire life. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #23 August 12, 2008 consciousness seems to be what they're getting at. If that is accepted as a "soul," then it's much later in the fetal development. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #24 August 12, 2008 hmmm. OK. so how do you explain transsexuals? People who seem to believe that they have the "soul" (or whatever word you wanna use) of one sex, but they're in the body of the opposite sex. If we're just a physical collection of parts, shouldn't they just STFU & be happy with what they have? I mean, if the soul is an illusion, then these people (some of them, anyway) are going through surgery & hormone shots all for the sake of re-aligning their body (which is real) with something that doesn't even exist. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #25 August 12, 2008 Quotehmmm. OK. so how do you explain transsexuals? People who seem to believe that they have the "soul" (or whatever word you wanna use) of one sex, but they're in the body of the opposite sex. If we're just a physical collection of parts, shouldn't they just STFU & be happy with what they have? I mean, if the soul is an illusion, then these people (some of them, anyway) are going through surgery & hormone shots all for the sake of re-aligning their body (which is real) with something that doesn't even exist. I haven't really thought about it, but I suppose I can try to wing an answer. In my sense of how things are, we are constantly generating memories and those memories form a very complex system of associations. The "shape" that system takes and the nature of the associations (positive, negative, or relatively neutral) is probably somewhat predisposed on the basis of a person's genetics and largely variable based on environmental factors (memory). Regardless of origin, a condition in which a person wishes to modify their body in any way (tattoos, piercings, breast enlargement, gender reassignment, etc) is simply a reflection of their own system of associations, and not all that unlike the wishes any others have. You may find reward in athletics, while another person prefers relaxation, and yet another feels incomplete without substantial spiritualism/religion in their life. Regardless, we're a bunch of unique critters, none of us exactly the same, and whatever another person wants to do to chase satisfaction is fine by me, provided it doesn't harm others. I'd be no more inclined to tell a transsexual to STFU and accept their fate than I would anyone else. In the grand scheme of things, homosexuality and transsexualism are likely far from the rarest or most unique deviations from "normal." Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites