Why And How Spirits Exist
As of now, the idea of spirits is not accepted by scientific communities.
This is understandable, considering that researches on spirits cannot be conducted using scientific method.
However, there do exist a large body of evidence indicating the existence of spirits.
In this post, I am going to discuss why and how spirits exist.
Evidence Of Spirit’s Existence
Qualia
Qualia, the very subjective experience of everyday life, cannot be explained with neuroscience.
We currently have a pretty good idea of how brain cells transmit signals.
There also are ongoing investigations of neural correlates of consciousness.
However, an attempt to explain qualia in terms of neuroscience does not seem promising.
That is because we still don’t know if qualia is a result of computation or not.
If qualia were the consequence of computation, it would be possible to create an artificial system that can experience qualia.
But then, we encounter the troubling question: how can cells and molecules create experience?
I personally believe that perfect explanation of qualia requires an acknowledgement of existence of spirits.
Near Death Experiences
People who have experienced near death often provide consistent account of what they have experienced.
The story often mentions how spirits managed to leave the body and enter the spiritual realm, where they felt intense love and comfort.
Near death experiences cannot be explained with sciences because near death isn’t something that can be replicated or controlled.
However, the fact that people with near death experiences often provide similar account of their experiences suggests that spirits exist.
Buddhism
A religion with long history, Buddhism supports the existence of spirits.
For instance, people in a state of deep meditation sometimes displays psychic abilities.
While these abilities can’t be proven scientifically because they are not replicable or controllable, the psychic phenomena continue to be believed or observed.
Hypnotism
People, when subject to hypnotism, often tell a story of entering the divine realm.
The observations were well recorded by the hypnotherapist Michael Newton.
Is what hypnotized people see illusions?
The stories told by hypnotized people seem too consistent for that to be the case.
Free will
If materialism were the ultimate truth, free will cannot exist, because any action or behavior must be solely determined by how molecules move in relation to brain cells.
While some scientists state that free will is an illusion, why would that illusion exist?
While it is true that illusion of free will can motivate people to maintain survival, free will is not always beneficial for survival.
For instance, random betrayals can make any group decision or action difficult.
I believe that free will exists, because without free will, many parts of human societies including law and education cannot be explained.
Abstract Thinking
There’s no such thing as a perfect triangle or circle in the physical world.
However, human mind can comprehend these concepts.
If human mind were purely material, how is it that human mind can understand concepts nonexistent in the physical world?
What Is Science?
Science is a methodology that observes natural phenomena in a controlled and replicable setting.
Therefore, science is not the ultimate methodology, but one of the methodologies.
While science has contributed greatly to the advancement of human knowledge, we must simultaneously admit that there are some areas of knowledge that cannot be investigated with sciences.
That is because not all phenomena can be studied in a controllable and replicable setting.
Is it justifiable to deem all spiritual phenomena fake or false, just because they cannot be studied using scientific methodology?
I personally believe that all science, philosophy and theology must be employed to thoroughly study the world.
How Do Spirits Exist?
An effective way to understand spirits is to study Rene Descartes’ famous quote, “I think, therefore I am”.
This quote demonstrates that when we start doubting every single knowledge, we eventually reach the ultimate truth that cannot be doubted: the fact that we are thinking at that moment.
Since “thinking” is done with consciousness, we can also interpret what Descartes said as emphasizing the relationship between consciousness and existence.
I believe that Descartes’ quote is true in both ways: I think, therefore I am, plus I am, therefore I think.
From this, we can derive that both existence and consciousness are ultimate and permanent essence of ourselves.
What would be the way to integrate existence and consciousness into a single entity? The answer is spirit.
Looking at Michael Newton’s description of spirits, spirits can be described as multi-dimensional intelligent energy.
This energy, upon interaction with human body, create what we know to be human beings.
Do Human Beings Need Spirits To Exist?
I believe that this is a very important question that must be answered in order to get in proximity to authentic understanding of the cosmos.
No, human beings probably don’t need spirits to exist.
I don’t think there is any collision between Darwin’s natural selection and creationism.
I believe that God created elementary particles and these elementary particles then underwent a long process of self-assembly to finally become multicellular organisms.
The process took over millions of years, as can be identified with radiocarbon dating techniques.
Of course, even trillions of years in the material realm doesn’t mean much to God.
Therefore, the truth probably is that God created elementary particles and these elementary particles underwent natural selection to become complex organisms.
This means that both creationism and natural selection are correct.
It is then natural to assume that human beings can exist without spirits.
It’s just that without spirits, humans’ capacity to comprehend abstract and complex ideas would radically diminish.
Conclusion
In this post, we took a look at why and how spirits exist.
Thank you for reading.
Additional Reading
What Are The Characteristics Of Spirits?