Quote:
Originally Posted by skalf
I guess it is hard to take it much further than this, but what I donīt understand, is how theists imagine immaterial existence works?
How exactly does "having no physical or temporal existence" differ from just not existing?
I suppose you could say my question just shows I am a materialist, but I really cannot think of an answer to this question that makes sense.
Well to give some other less contentious examples of things I think exist without any physical or temporal existence:
Pi
Middle Earth
Possible worlds
The argument modus ponens
The subjective component of seeing red
I think these things are qualitatively different from a table, heat or a particular brain state associated with being in love (all of which I consider physical). I think we interact with these things via thinking and exactly how is a mystery - the fact I can't account for it doesnt imply to me that I must be wrong, merely that I dont know the answer yet.
Materialism seems to me to be jumping the gun - we are making progress at explaining the mind, therefore we will eventually be able to explain why seeing the colour red seems exactly as it does and not the way it is when we see the colour blue. We will be able to give a good physicalist account of the semantics of uncountably infinite sets or rational numbers.
Perhaps such a thing is possible - in which case I would agree that Gods dont make sense. It's certainly rational to hold the view and from a pragmatic viewpoint is far superior. Nonetheless, it's not yet established as a fact.
EDIT: I posted in the new thread if it's better to discuss it there..
Last edited by bunny; 12-30-2009 at 08:56 PM.