Dualism (Identity)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Saturday, March 14, 2015, 21:16 (3327 days ago) @ dhw

DHW:.. I am grappling with the concept of dualism, which basically argues that mind and matter are two separate things. The concept of the soul which survives bodily death is totally dependent on this view of the mind (which is inseparable from consciousness). It IS an absolute. Either the conscious mind is part of and therefore dependent on the material self, or it is not. David's God-given quantum pattern of energy is clearly not, which leaves him free to believe in a non-physical identity that may survive the death of the body. I suspect from your answer and the rest of your post that you do not share this view, but I'd still like to know what you think IS the source of consciousness: materials, or something else?-I do not believe that the consciousness survives the death of the body. My belief is, to use my computer analogy again, that a back up is made to a spare disk at death. ECC 12:17 says that "the spirit returns to god". But, it is important to not that the word that is translated as spirit is not referring to some consciousness that continues existence, literally translates as 'wind' or 'energetic/active force'. It is my belief that on death, the 'spirit returns to God', returning the energy to where it originated and carrying with it a backup of the data of that individual.

--
What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.