The overall theme of this blog is that we don’t know enough to be certain of metaphysical truths.* Because of that, and the fact that metaphysics deals with things beyond physical reality, we need to think about those topics using tools other than science, and move discussions away from trying to prove one view or another, to comparing differences and explaining our preferences.

A good example of this is our limited understanding of consciousness. Although many believe that consciousness is only a physical phenomenon, that view is by no means universal even among secular researchers. Other possibilities, such as the philosophical idea of panpsychism, have been proposed and seem to be growing in popularity.

Given the diversity of viewpoints among subject matter experts, the only rational position to take is some level of agnosticism regarding this topic. In other words, we need to acknowledge the possibility of immaterial minds even if that’s a viewpoint with which one personally does not agree.

To me, it seems that the possibility of an immaterial mind, whatever that might look like, has significant implications for an overall understanding of reality.

For example, it means that reality has an immaterial aspect to it and that minds are part of that. This opens the door to the possibility of God, since that would be the ultimate example of an immaterial mind.

Of course, there are many other things that could result from the existence of such minds, but belief in God is something that has always been a part of human history, has had huge impacts on Western civilization, and impacts many lives today.

In other words, the nature of consciousness, and especially our experience of it, seems to point to spiritual reality.

Of course, that doesn’t say anything about any particular religion, but history shows the enormous positive impact that Christianity has had on the world, pointing to Jesus as the best model we have for thinking about God.

There may be other rational views, but I think Christianity represents the best way to connect the reality of consciousness to lives best lived.

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* Those are truths about the nature of reality that go beyond the strictly physical, hence the name metaphysical. Some would argue that there are no such truths, that only the material, physical world is all there is. However, such an assertion is itself a metaphysical statement, and proving that is, by definition, beyond the scope of physicalism. Others point out that some things, like mathematics, are non-physical, so that they represent an aspect of metaphysics.

In any case, the direction taken here is that all such discussions go beyond what is knowable by physical science.