Little thoughts
I've been thinking a lot about religion and spirit lately ( and it's pretty cool to see discussions pop up in other people's journals as well -hi kingfuraday!). Some of the ideas I've been knocking around are about what constitutes these things people call "spirit" or "self" or "thoughts". Some people believe that we are spiritual beings inhabiting physical bodies. They see the two as separate, but connected and when the physical body dies, the spirit lives on along with whatever it was that made that person "them".
Some people believe there is no such thing. They think we (whatever it is we call "self") are a by-product of our brain chemistry. There's been studies done regarding the function of the brain and it's particular chemistry and there have been causal links established between certain chemicals and behaviour. They've also been able to map out some physical areas of the brain and their relation to certain cognitive functions like speech or memory.
So, even if there was a separate "spiritual" thing that is responsible for our personality it is most certainly linked to the physical medium of the body. Given this apparent link between physical things like the chemicals and electrical impulses fired from our neurons and things more "ethereal" things like memory, emotions or speech, would it be too much of a stretch to consider a "thought" a physical thing made up of electrical impulses, chemicals and such? If so, can one consider some thoughts good for you and other bad, the way you'd consider some food you put in your body as good or bad for you?
Any thoughts?
Some people believe there is no such thing. They think we (whatever it is we call "self") are a by-product of our brain chemistry. There's been studies done regarding the function of the brain and it's particular chemistry and there have been causal links established between certain chemicals and behaviour. They've also been able to map out some physical areas of the brain and their relation to certain cognitive functions like speech or memory.
So, even if there was a separate "spiritual" thing that is responsible for our personality it is most certainly linked to the physical medium of the body. Given this apparent link between physical things like the chemicals and electrical impulses fired from our neurons and things more "ethereal" things like memory, emotions or speech, would it be too much of a stretch to consider a "thought" a physical thing made up of electrical impulses, chemicals and such? If so, can one consider some thoughts good for you and other bad, the way you'd consider some food you put in your body as good or bad for you?
Any thoughts?