The Mind : The Common Ground Of Science And Spirituality

Some deeper understanding of ourselves is possible, though only at the moments prior to our deaths. Throughout this paper, I will primarily focus on the implications with attempting to understand one’s self. In the opening portion of this paper, I will discuss and explain problems of two separate chapters that pose particular difficulties for us to understand ourselves from Walker Percy’s Lost in the Cosmos. This will then lead me to my next section, where I will reflect on self-understanding and examine the possibility of resolving the problems of self-understanding that I discussed in the opening portion of this paper.

“Darwin and Evolution” and “Creationism and Intelligent Design,” Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction (pp. 58-103) by Thomas Dixon

Nature writers explore the deep spiritual connection between nature and humanity. Recently, writings have suggested that humanity is experiencing a disconnection with nature and this important bond. As a result, it has been suggested that humans are losing their spiritual connection with each other and that this is a source of social unrest. This research explores the hypothesis that humans have become alienated from nature. It explores counter arguments and examines how to reestablish this important connection.

In the book, Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling, McMinn expands upon the theory of integrating psychology and theology by providing the reader with concrete methods to utilize in counseling. His approach to integration is filled with helpful guidance for any counselor striving to strike the appropriate balance in their sessions. McMinn divulges into how and when to use scripture, prayer, confession and redemption. He advocates for utilizing these methods on a case by cases basis to ensure the client’s best interest. Overall, the book provides a tangible understanding of how to integrate theology and psychology into different counseling sessions.

There are four major points outlined by the author. The first one is the central role of consciousness in the traditional mind-body problem. The relationships between mind and body cannot be explained without the proper comprehending of consciousness and its role. The second one is the incorrect approaches utilized by the modern reductionists. Their examples and analogies are inapplicable to the mind-body problem. The third one is that experience of any specie or organism has a highly subjective character. Therefore, people cannot even image what it means to be a bat. The fourth one is the need for determining the optimal balance between comprehending the objective physical processes and beings’

Gazing upon my own reflection of my consciousness, I come to see the outlines of my understanding that my very own thoughts do not falter far from those similar to the great philosopher Plato, however, they still differentiate in certain areas surrounding the theory of how we attain knowledge, also in what lies beyond the physical realm and into the intangible, along with what is the value of what is good and bad.

It is more reasonable to think that the patient has the usual range of mental states. Behaviours visually express mental states better than knowing if one has a Cartesian soul or the requirement of a normal human brain.

The question of consciousness and how it works is one that is debated over by philosophers with no theory being the clear answer. These theories range from different kinds that take diverse views and approaches in attempting to solve the case of consciousness. One such theory is Tye’s representational theory of consciousness, which makes the claim that phenomenal character is one and the same as representational content that meets certain further conditions. While the theory has its merits, it also has many faults that keep it back from being a suitable response to satisfy the question of consciousness. This will be shown by exploring what Tye’s representational theory of consciousness is and what it means for consciousness, the flaws and objections to Tye’s theory, and lastly how Tye’s theory works with the view of externalism, creating the theory of phenomenal externalism. Together, these points will display the positives as well as the negatives to Tye’s theory of consciousness.

Merleau-Ponty advocates that people get the essence through our bodies. The “body” means “an expressive mode of belonging the world through our perception, gesture, sexuality, and speech.” (Kearney, 1986; pp. 73). In other words, people cannot separate themselves from their perception of the world because it is the essential background of the experience. Different from Husserl’s reduction method to eliminate the embodied relationship to the world; Merleau-Ponty emphasizes the key idea of “ embodied consciousness” when we get the essence.

The mind (soul) and the body can be apart somehow. You trust something in your soul even the things you trust does not exist, and you trust how thing is when you see it by how it is. Now I am giving example of three philosophers to show how they debate about mind and soul.

The mind and the body are two different but unique essentials of an individual. Both the mind and the body play an important role in an individual’s life. From making decisions by using the brain, to being able to sense all five senses from the body, both parts illustrate its importance of existence. In today’s society, the mind and the body have shown a connection between how an individual regulates his or her own daily lifestyle. Although, it hasn’t always been clear about how the mind and the body are connected. In fact, back in the day, individuals didn’t seem to understand the importance of the mind and the body. Many philosophers, such as Descartes and Spinoza were two important contributors that illustrated the importance of the mind. Both individuals had similar thinking, however, they both still had different theories and ideas about the human mind and body. Even though science believes that the mind and the body must work together, Descartes believed that the mind and the body are two different essences that are conscious, and have their own regulations and ways of existing and can exist on their own, and lastly, both the mind and the body have their own observational patterns.

There are many scientific fields of study, or branches of science. Science itself is knowledge about a topic. There are physics science (interactions of physical science and natural), astronomy and space science, math science, chemistry science, medicine science, and measurements and weight science. Natural science, also known as scientific method is a more disciplined way of studying the world. This is also known as social science.

Are science and religion related? If so, how are they related? What is the importance of them in human lives? I believe, science and religion are related to each other. The relationship between them has been debated for several years. Science is linked to the material, while religion is worried about spirituality (Vikas, 2012). Humans depend on both religion and science not one or the other. In spite of being different from each other, science and religion are related and linked to each other.

Our first option in defining the mind is to solely rely on the physical laws of nature. However, these physical laws only account for the physical states of the universe. Therefore, this option argues that our “mind states” are identical with “physical states” and when we speak of the mind we are merely stating a particular description of the physical world and

“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” –Carl Sagan