An optical illusion, such as of an apparent bent straw in a glass of water, is caused by the different speeds of light as it passes through water and air. This condition causes the straw to appear to bend at the surface of the water.
Many judge optical illusions to be unreal, but actually there is nothing unreal about an optical illusion. When one sees a bend in a straw in a glass of water, one actually sees a mental representation of a "bend." Bends are real, and are observed in many things every day. The mental representation of the "bend" is just as real as a mental image as is a sensory perception of a "bend." The only difference is that the one is in the mind and the other comes into the mind.
One may object that the apparent bend in the straw is not real because there is no actual bend in the straw. But this objection is directed to that which is "not real" and not to the real "bend" in the straw. There is a big difference between that which is "not real" and the reality of a mental representation. The combination called "no actual bend" simply means that the mind, despite the real mental representation of a "bend," is fully aware that the straw is actually straight.
There is an unreality to this optical illusion but the "unreal" is different than the "bend" seen in the straw. The mind habitually covers the "unreal" with a real mental representation. In this case, it is a real mental representation of a "bend" in the straw. What then is this unreality in this optical illusion? In a strict sense, the "not real" of this optical illusion adheres to the falsity of this combination of real entities called an "optical illusion." In other words, the mind realizes that this combination of real entities do not belong together. There exists a falsity to the combination which effects a sense of "nothingness." This "nothingness" cannot be seen, and yet the mind is aware of it. How? The mind possesses an innate "idea of nothing," and one of the uses of this "idea of nothing" is that the mind employs it to represent unreality. The mind never directly observes unreality in any way. The closest the mind can come to observing unreality is if the mind were in a coma. Unreality is equivalent to absolute nothingness.
This description means that this optical illusion consists of a false combination of real representations. The unreality lies behind the falsity. How does the mind recognize this falsity? The mind recognizes it because it is simply the same as the idea of nothing which represents unreality. In other words, the "falsity" lies in the "nothingness" inherent in the false combination itself, and not in any of the real representations.
All of these descriptions put together seems to indicate that the mind has been geared to recognize nothing but the real. All that the mind observes or thinks is real. The mind can observe or invent false combinations of real appearances or ideas, but even "falsity" is a real idea that indicates the real "idea of nothing," which, in turn, indicates an unreality which is never experienced.
For all these reasons, one can make the judgment that all optical illusions, hallucinations, mistaken identities and dreams are nothing more than false combinations of real observations or ideas. In fact, the unreality of any false combination is never observed.
( As a challenge to the mathematicians of the veracity of these conclusions, let them try this experiment. When they do their higher calculations, let a zero indicate the idea of nothing, a negative number indicate absolute nothingness or chaos, an ordinary number indicate finite reality and an infinity indicate an infinite reality. The result of this experiment should produce a much clearer view of reality.)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
IN DEFENCE OF THE METAPHYSICIAN
The attitude of the modern materialist philosopher towards the metaphysical philosopher is that the metaphysician engages in pure speculation and guesswork, especially if they offer speculative evidences for the existence of God. However, the materialist seems to have no problem engaging in pure speculation if they believe it offers evidences for the nonexistence of God. The materialist should not be so quick to dismiss the metaphysician when one considers the history of philosophy.
Democritus' theory of atoms and Empedocles' theory of the basic elements of earth, air, fire and water, although rudimentary in their forms, was fairly good speculation for so long ago before there was any real science. Modern science has discovered atoms and the basic elements.
The metaphysician does not completely engage in pure speculation and guesswork. He takes the clues that exist and tries to apply logic to them in order to construct a view of reality that may be true. He is satisfied, if in the future, he is found to be a least partly right. In this respect, the metaphysician's work is akin to that of Sherlock Holmes, even though he was always right. Even the great scientist, Albert Einstein, arrived at his theory of relativity by engaging in thought experiments. He applied logic to the present evidence.
Some philosophers, such as St. Augustine and St. Anselm, have applied logic to present evidence and have adduced some reasons for the existence of God. Considering the fairly good track record for metaphysical philosophy, no one should ever take their speculations too lightly.
( As a prophecy, this amateur philosopher strongly suspects that modern science has already found cogent evidences for the existence of God and are keeping quiet about it.)
Democritus' theory of atoms and Empedocles' theory of the basic elements of earth, air, fire and water, although rudimentary in their forms, was fairly good speculation for so long ago before there was any real science. Modern science has discovered atoms and the basic elements.
The metaphysician does not completely engage in pure speculation and guesswork. He takes the clues that exist and tries to apply logic to them in order to construct a view of reality that may be true. He is satisfied, if in the future, he is found to be a least partly right. In this respect, the metaphysician's work is akin to that of Sherlock Holmes, even though he was always right. Even the great scientist, Albert Einstein, arrived at his theory of relativity by engaging in thought experiments. He applied logic to the present evidence.
Some philosophers, such as St. Augustine and St. Anselm, have applied logic to present evidence and have adduced some reasons for the existence of God. Considering the fairly good track record for metaphysical philosophy, no one should ever take their speculations too lightly.
( As a prophecy, this amateur philosopher strongly suspects that modern science has already found cogent evidences for the existence of God and are keeping quiet about it.)
Monday, January 23, 2012
THE FLUX AND THE CHANGELESS
The practical Heraclitus wrote that the world is a flux; that is, in a constant state of change. The idealistic Parmenides wrote that the world is actually a homogeneous sphere and therefore nothing ever changes. He thought change was merely an illusion. Plato took a middle position. He wrote that the world really constantly changes, but that the human mind uses certain changeless ideas which we apply to our observations of the world in order to make sense of it. If we did not know these changeless ideas, the world would change so fast that no one would be able to make any rational sense of it. In a sense, Plato taught that these ideas used by the mind act like brakes that slow down the flux enough for us to observe it clearly.
Now, suppose that Plato was right about the mind slowing the flux. Imagine a world without any mind applied to it. Such a world would have no brakes. In fact, would not such a mindless world be moving so fast that it would go out of existence at virtually the same instant it came into existence? This world reminds one of a virtual particle. Physicists know virtual particles to be sub-atomic entities that come into existence and go out of existence at practically the same instant. The theory of evolution would be impossible in a mindless world. Reality would be impossible. This world would be equal to absolute nothingness.
On the other hand, imagine that the whole world stopped in one moment of time. Similar to a projector breaking down while running a movie and stopping on one picture in the roll of film. This condition would mean that nothing would ever change. The world would be absolutely changeless. What could cause such a condition? If the mind is the only source of a changelessness that must be applied to the world to slow it so that sense can be made of it, then only a mind could stop the world in one moment. This power of the mind seems to indicate that a close relationship exists between the mind and the passage of time. Without mind, there can be no time.
If these evaluations are true, then man and the world itself could never have evolved, and a Mind had to have existed before man's mind came into existence in order for the world to possess reality and the passage of time.
Now, suppose that Plato was right about the mind slowing the flux. Imagine a world without any mind applied to it. Such a world would have no brakes. In fact, would not such a mindless world be moving so fast that it would go out of existence at virtually the same instant it came into existence? This world reminds one of a virtual particle. Physicists know virtual particles to be sub-atomic entities that come into existence and go out of existence at practically the same instant. The theory of evolution would be impossible in a mindless world. Reality would be impossible. This world would be equal to absolute nothingness.
On the other hand, imagine that the whole world stopped in one moment of time. Similar to a projector breaking down while running a movie and stopping on one picture in the roll of film. This condition would mean that nothing would ever change. The world would be absolutely changeless. What could cause such a condition? If the mind is the only source of a changelessness that must be applied to the world to slow it so that sense can be made of it, then only a mind could stop the world in one moment. This power of the mind seems to indicate that a close relationship exists between the mind and the passage of time. Without mind, there can be no time.
If these evaluations are true, then man and the world itself could never have evolved, and a Mind had to have existed before man's mind came into existence in order for the world to possess reality and the passage of time.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
THE PROGRESSION OF CALLOUSNESS
Exodus 1:7-22 KJV
Pharaoh feared the Israelites because they were becoming more numerous than the Egyptians and could join with some outside force to defeat Egypt and find freedom for themselves. So Pharaoh issued orders that the Israelite midwives should kill all newborn Hebrew males in order to keep the Israeli population down. The midwives got around Pharaoh's order by claiming that the Hebrew women habitually gave birth before the midwives could get to them.
Pharaoh's first order demonstrated that he cared nothing for the lives of the Hebrew male babies, but at least his order allowed the families of these dead babies to bury them with religious ceremony and dignity. But when his plan was thwarted by the subterfuge of the midwives, Pharaoh's heart became colder and harder. He then ordered his own people that whenever they saw a male Hebrew baby, they should immediately simply throw it into the Nile river. They should throw the baby into the river as if it were nothing. Simply kill it and get it out of our way.
A similar progression of callousness has happened in the world's abortion systems. At first, babies could only be killed if they were less than three months old in the womb. Now, babies are routinely murdered even after they are born, and their bodies are simply thrown away as if they were nothing. They are murdered for no other reason than that they got in somebody's way. They are an inconvenience to someone.
This progression of callousness comes from the Devil himself. It is an example of the way that evil always operates. When an evil system starts, as time goes by, it causes hearts to become colder and harder. Babies are murdered now, but in the future, old people will be killed because they have become an inconvenience to society. In time, the infirm and the mentally retarded will be next. In more time, those who stand against evil and for the value of human life will be next. Remember this, one of the reasons the Nazis hated the Jews and Christians so much was because these religions placed such great value on human life.
Pharaoh feared the Israelites because they were becoming more numerous than the Egyptians and could join with some outside force to defeat Egypt and find freedom for themselves. So Pharaoh issued orders that the Israelite midwives should kill all newborn Hebrew males in order to keep the Israeli population down. The midwives got around Pharaoh's order by claiming that the Hebrew women habitually gave birth before the midwives could get to them.
Pharaoh's first order demonstrated that he cared nothing for the lives of the Hebrew male babies, but at least his order allowed the families of these dead babies to bury them with religious ceremony and dignity. But when his plan was thwarted by the subterfuge of the midwives, Pharaoh's heart became colder and harder. He then ordered his own people that whenever they saw a male Hebrew baby, they should immediately simply throw it into the Nile river. They should throw the baby into the river as if it were nothing. Simply kill it and get it out of our way.
A similar progression of callousness has happened in the world's abortion systems. At first, babies could only be killed if they were less than three months old in the womb. Now, babies are routinely murdered even after they are born, and their bodies are simply thrown away as if they were nothing. They are murdered for no other reason than that they got in somebody's way. They are an inconvenience to someone.
This progression of callousness comes from the Devil himself. It is an example of the way that evil always operates. When an evil system starts, as time goes by, it causes hearts to become colder and harder. Babies are murdered now, but in the future, old people will be killed because they have become an inconvenience to society. In time, the infirm and the mentally retarded will be next. In more time, those who stand against evil and for the value of human life will be next. Remember this, one of the reasons the Nazis hated the Jews and Christians so much was because these religions placed such great value on human life.
Friday, January 13, 2012
EMPTINESS and the INNER LIFE
John 10:10 KJV
Recently, defectors from North Korea have reported that certain citizens there will be prosecuted by the law for not outwardly wailing and crying enough over the death of their leader, Kim Jong IL. Some of these citizens could die in labor camps simply because they did not publicly wail enough to suit their communist masters. This means that it is quite possible that a citizen who hated the leader in his heart but put on a great show of grief could escape prosecution, whereas a citizen who truly loved his leader but did not show much sorrow could die in prison because he did not shed enough tears. It seems that how one feels inside is unimportant to the communist masters, only how one acts. To them, it is a crime to be a bad actor.
No event has ever symbolized the destructive effects of the theory of evolution and the materialistic philosophy on which it is based better than these prosecutions. The message of these prosecutions to the people could not be more clear. You the people have no inner mind, no soul, and no spirit. You are empty inside. All that matters is your behavior.
Behavioral psychology is also based on the materialistic philosophy. Behaviorism teaches that no human has an inner life. All that is human is expressed only in behavior. The communists, who base their political philosophy on materialism and the theory of evolution, have taken behavioral psychology to mean that the citizens of the state will be content if they are simply forced to behave in certain ways.
Thus, the effects of the materialistic systems of science, psychology, and government would attempt to produce an absolute emptiness of soul and spirit and of the body too since an empty body is fairly close to being nonhuman. This condition illustrates the fact that humans are subject to many false systems in the world that, in the end, only produce an absolute nothingness.
All that we humans can know, we learn from experience. If one experiences God, then one will learn that he or she has an inner mind and soul, and that his or her spirit can be reconnected to God. Sin, which is a false system that produces an inner emptiness, has disconnected each man's spirit from the Spirit of God.
Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth from heaven to restore mankind to a relationship with God; to reconnect each believer's lost spirit and soul to the Spirit of God. Jesus accomplished this task by dying on the cross in man's place in order to take away man's sin. Jesus took the emptiness of sin on Himself, sacrificing Himself in man's place and suffering sins' effects for the salvation of mankind. He then rose from the dead to prove that He had gained the victory over sin, death and Satan.
When a person hears or reads the good news that Jesus has already done all that is needed for his or her salvation, then the Holy Spirit will visit that person to tell him or her that their sin will destroy them and that only Jesus can save that person. If that person listens closely to the Holy Spirit, then he or she will become convicted that he or she is a lost sinner who needs to be saved by Jesus. If that person then puts away his or her pride and humbles himself or herself to God and repents of his or her sins and believes in his or her heart that Jesus has already done all of the work that will save them, then that person will experience God. Jesus called this experience being "born again." The person who experiences God will absolutely know that his or her spirit has been reconnected to God. This person will know that his or her sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, and that God has forgiven him or her, and that God has reconciled that person to Himself. That person will also discover the absolute joy of knowing that he or she now possesses an inner new spirit that has been re-created by God. He or she will know all this because the Holy Spirit will be inside of them. Read John 3 John 16:7-11 Romans 3:23 Romans 10:8-10 II Corinthians 5:21 Ephesians 4:22-24 I John 4:13 KJV
Recently, defectors from North Korea have reported that certain citizens there will be prosecuted by the law for not outwardly wailing and crying enough over the death of their leader, Kim Jong IL. Some of these citizens could die in labor camps simply because they did not publicly wail enough to suit their communist masters. This means that it is quite possible that a citizen who hated the leader in his heart but put on a great show of grief could escape prosecution, whereas a citizen who truly loved his leader but did not show much sorrow could die in prison because he did not shed enough tears. It seems that how one feels inside is unimportant to the communist masters, only how one acts. To them, it is a crime to be a bad actor.
No event has ever symbolized the destructive effects of the theory of evolution and the materialistic philosophy on which it is based better than these prosecutions. The message of these prosecutions to the people could not be more clear. You the people have no inner mind, no soul, and no spirit. You are empty inside. All that matters is your behavior.
Behavioral psychology is also based on the materialistic philosophy. Behaviorism teaches that no human has an inner life. All that is human is expressed only in behavior. The communists, who base their political philosophy on materialism and the theory of evolution, have taken behavioral psychology to mean that the citizens of the state will be content if they are simply forced to behave in certain ways.
Thus, the effects of the materialistic systems of science, psychology, and government would attempt to produce an absolute emptiness of soul and spirit and of the body too since an empty body is fairly close to being nonhuman. This condition illustrates the fact that humans are subject to many false systems in the world that, in the end, only produce an absolute nothingness.
All that we humans can know, we learn from experience. If one experiences God, then one will learn that he or she has an inner mind and soul, and that his or her spirit can be reconnected to God. Sin, which is a false system that produces an inner emptiness, has disconnected each man's spirit from the Spirit of God.
Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth from heaven to restore mankind to a relationship with God; to reconnect each believer's lost spirit and soul to the Spirit of God. Jesus accomplished this task by dying on the cross in man's place in order to take away man's sin. Jesus took the emptiness of sin on Himself, sacrificing Himself in man's place and suffering sins' effects for the salvation of mankind. He then rose from the dead to prove that He had gained the victory over sin, death and Satan.
When a person hears or reads the good news that Jesus has already done all that is needed for his or her salvation, then the Holy Spirit will visit that person to tell him or her that their sin will destroy them and that only Jesus can save that person. If that person listens closely to the Holy Spirit, then he or she will become convicted that he or she is a lost sinner who needs to be saved by Jesus. If that person then puts away his or her pride and humbles himself or herself to God and repents of his or her sins and believes in his or her heart that Jesus has already done all of the work that will save them, then that person will experience God. Jesus called this experience being "born again." The person who experiences God will absolutely know that his or her spirit has been reconnected to God. This person will know that his or her sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, and that God has forgiven him or her, and that God has reconciled that person to Himself. That person will also discover the absolute joy of knowing that he or she now possesses an inner new spirit that has been re-created by God. He or she will know all this because the Holy Spirit will be inside of them. Read John 3 John 16:7-11 Romans 3:23 Romans 10:8-10 II Corinthians 5:21 Ephesians 4:22-24 I John 4:13 KJV
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
CHANGES IN AN AUTUMN TREE
At the end of summer a hardwood tree stands in the forest completely filled with green leaves. As autumn progresses and the weather gets cooler, the green leaves slowly turn to red. Does the green disappear into nothing, and does the red appear from nothing? This cannot be possible because any "thing" like "green"never disappears into nothing, and any "thing" like "red" never appears from nothing. Why?
The laws of physics clearly show that information can never be destroyed. How then do the leaves of the tree change from green to red?
The only known entity that can cause green and red to appear as "green" and "red" is consciousness. Information cannot be destroyed because consciousness has locked in "green" and "red" as being eternal and unchanging appearances. Red and green as frequencies of light are not "red" and "green" as appearances. An appearance is a type of information that cannot be destroyed. If all this is true, then how does the tree change from green to red?
We can understand how the tree changes color if we accept the premise that not only "green" and "red" but all other basic concepts of consciousness such as "change" itself, as well as "less" and "more," are eternal and unchanging appearances. We must also accept the premise that appearances are also a type of information that cannot be destroyed. To consciousness, "change" is an unchanging idea that always indicates any set of systems of appearances or ideas each one of which exists as one particular system at one moment but can become a different system in the next moment. Each moment, and the systems within it, remain eternal and unchanging; but the next moment can cause a slightly different set of systems which are also eternal and unchanging appearances.
The tree changes, not directly from green to red, but from one unchanging system to another from moment to moment. At any one moment, the tree consists of many coherent systems of appearances such as "alive," "green," "hard," (the wood) "soft," (the leaves) and so forth. In the next moment, most of these systems remain the same, such as "alive" and "hard;" but the next moment may also bring in a slightly different system in that the "green leaves" become "less green" and "more red." Of course, these changes require complicated chemical changes at the cell level, but these are also unchanging systems from moment to moment. For the sake of simplicity, we will stick to the systems of "less green" and "more red." The conclusions will be the same.
From moment to moment, the systems of the tree called "less green" and "more red" appear to change the leaves from green to red. Actually, "green" being an eternal and unchanging appearance, never changes, and neither does "red." Consciousness insures that they remain the same forever. That which actually happens is that from moment to moment different unchanging systems appear in which a "less" is subtracted and a "more" is added to the total set of systems which is the tree. "Green" does not disappear into nothing and "red" does not appear from nothing. "Green" and "red," as well as "less" and "more," are eternal and unchanging appearances and ideas in consciousness.
This description seems to indicate that reality is like a film rolling through a projector projecting a moving image onto a screen. The only difference is that each individual picture in reality actually constitutes a moment of time with its own set of eternal and unchanging systems. In reality, as long as each picture remains eternal, nothing ever changes. On the other hand, "change" is itself an eternal and unchanging idea for the pictures as they move.
This condition brings another set of ideas to mind. Since man's consciousness is finite and all appearances and ideas must be eternal and unchanging, then who made this movie and who is running this projector? There has to be an eternal God who is creating all this.
The laws of physics clearly show that information can never be destroyed. How then do the leaves of the tree change from green to red?
The only known entity that can cause green and red to appear as "green" and "red" is consciousness. Information cannot be destroyed because consciousness has locked in "green" and "red" as being eternal and unchanging appearances. Red and green as frequencies of light are not "red" and "green" as appearances. An appearance is a type of information that cannot be destroyed. If all this is true, then how does the tree change from green to red?
We can understand how the tree changes color if we accept the premise that not only "green" and "red" but all other basic concepts of consciousness such as "change" itself, as well as "less" and "more," are eternal and unchanging appearances. We must also accept the premise that appearances are also a type of information that cannot be destroyed. To consciousness, "change" is an unchanging idea that always indicates any set of systems of appearances or ideas each one of which exists as one particular system at one moment but can become a different system in the next moment. Each moment, and the systems within it, remain eternal and unchanging; but the next moment can cause a slightly different set of systems which are also eternal and unchanging appearances.
The tree changes, not directly from green to red, but from one unchanging system to another from moment to moment. At any one moment, the tree consists of many coherent systems of appearances such as "alive," "green," "hard," (the wood) "soft," (the leaves) and so forth. In the next moment, most of these systems remain the same, such as "alive" and "hard;" but the next moment may also bring in a slightly different system in that the "green leaves" become "less green" and "more red." Of course, these changes require complicated chemical changes at the cell level, but these are also unchanging systems from moment to moment. For the sake of simplicity, we will stick to the systems of "less green" and "more red." The conclusions will be the same.
From moment to moment, the systems of the tree called "less green" and "more red" appear to change the leaves from green to red. Actually, "green" being an eternal and unchanging appearance, never changes, and neither does "red." Consciousness insures that they remain the same forever. That which actually happens is that from moment to moment different unchanging systems appear in which a "less" is subtracted and a "more" is added to the total set of systems which is the tree. "Green" does not disappear into nothing and "red" does not appear from nothing. "Green" and "red," as well as "less" and "more," are eternal and unchanging appearances and ideas in consciousness.
This description seems to indicate that reality is like a film rolling through a projector projecting a moving image onto a screen. The only difference is that each individual picture in reality actually constitutes a moment of time with its own set of eternal and unchanging systems. In reality, as long as each picture remains eternal, nothing ever changes. On the other hand, "change" is itself an eternal and unchanging idea for the pictures as they move.
This condition brings another set of ideas to mind. Since man's consciousness is finite and all appearances and ideas must be eternal and unchanging, then who made this movie and who is running this projector? There has to be an eternal God who is creating all this.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
THE REALITY OF SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS
Truer words were never written than when Jean Paul Sartre wrote that: "All consciousness is consciousness of something." Every individual "something" of which consciousness can be conscious must be real because they all have proven to be useful to consciousness. Even "nothing" is useful to consciousness as an idea. Every object and every idea is useful and real to consciousness.
Should anyone doubt the reality of these statements, one can perform an experiment which will tend to show that they are true. If one reads any page of a dictionary one will find that every word on that page never fails to indicate something useful. Even words that equal nothing such as "aether" or "ghost" prove useful as an indicator of that which is useless and should thus be discarded.
All real "somethings" can be combined into false combinations that effect "nothing" and are therefore useless. The idea of "nothing" is a useful "something" that indicates where uselessness resides. This makes the idea of "nothing" and "uselessness" equal to each other and this knowledge is useful.
In addition, "uselessness" and "nothing" also point to an unreality of which consciousness cannot be conscious. This happens because if one mentally subtracts all of the useful "somethings" from any false combination, including the idea of "nothing," then one is left with only a kind of "absolute nothingness" which seems to be nowhere and at no time. Thus, consciousness can only be conscious of the useful "somethings," including the idea of "nothing" being "something" as a useful idea, that constitute reality. Consciousness can never be conscious of unreality except to the extent that it is indicated by the idea of "nothing." Therefore, all of the "somethings" of which consciousness can be conscious, whether abstract or concrete, must of necessity be real. In fact, it is impossible for consciousness to be directly conscious of unreality. Consciousness can only be conscious of reality.
When one examines consciousness itself, one finds that consciousness always directs itself toward its object, whether abstract or concrete. An abstract idea is just as much an object of consciousness as is a solid object that is felt. This fact makes all abstract ideas real because they all are useful.
The materialists maintain that consciousness is nothing more than brain activity. Yet, this consciousness can direct itself toward a consciousness of this brain activity. Since consciousness always directs itself toward its object, then brain activity can be an object of consciousness. This indicates that consciousness itself holds a useful power that can direct itself toward that very object that produces it. Consciousness is a useful and real separate power within itself.
The materialists may counter this argument by asserting that brain activity can be conscious of itself. Yet, by this argument they unconsciously admit that brain activity produces a consciousness which holds the power within itself to be conscious of brain activity.
So what exactly is this consciousness? All we seem to know about it is that it is a kind of invisible vapor that holds a useful power within itself to be aware of all reality. If consciousness can only be conscious of reality, then the usefulness of this invisible vapor must prove that it holds a separate reality. In addition, this separate reality also holds the power within itself to be conscious of consciousness itself. But this fact, in turn, only proves that consciousness can be conscious of itself being conscious of itself. This process could go on to infinity except that finite consciousness finds it impossible to carry this effort to infinity.
This self-consciousness that tends to reach toward infinity may show that humans possess a "spirit" that yearns to be reconnected to infinity. The usefulness of the idea of "infinity" tends to indicate the real existence of an Infinite Consciousness because a reality had to have existed prior to human reality. Humans possess a spirit that yearns to be reconnected to God. God Himself has provided the possibility of such a reconnection through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son.
Should anyone doubt the reality of these statements, one can perform an experiment which will tend to show that they are true. If one reads any page of a dictionary one will find that every word on that page never fails to indicate something useful. Even words that equal nothing such as "aether" or "ghost" prove useful as an indicator of that which is useless and should thus be discarded.
All real "somethings" can be combined into false combinations that effect "nothing" and are therefore useless. The idea of "nothing" is a useful "something" that indicates where uselessness resides. This makes the idea of "nothing" and "uselessness" equal to each other and this knowledge is useful.
In addition, "uselessness" and "nothing" also point to an unreality of which consciousness cannot be conscious. This happens because if one mentally subtracts all of the useful "somethings" from any false combination, including the idea of "nothing," then one is left with only a kind of "absolute nothingness" which seems to be nowhere and at no time. Thus, consciousness can only be conscious of the useful "somethings," including the idea of "nothing" being "something" as a useful idea, that constitute reality. Consciousness can never be conscious of unreality except to the extent that it is indicated by the idea of "nothing." Therefore, all of the "somethings" of which consciousness can be conscious, whether abstract or concrete, must of necessity be real. In fact, it is impossible for consciousness to be directly conscious of unreality. Consciousness can only be conscious of reality.
When one examines consciousness itself, one finds that consciousness always directs itself toward its object, whether abstract or concrete. An abstract idea is just as much an object of consciousness as is a solid object that is felt. This fact makes all abstract ideas real because they all are useful.
The materialists maintain that consciousness is nothing more than brain activity. Yet, this consciousness can direct itself toward a consciousness of this brain activity. Since consciousness always directs itself toward its object, then brain activity can be an object of consciousness. This indicates that consciousness itself holds a useful power that can direct itself toward that very object that produces it. Consciousness is a useful and real separate power within itself.
The materialists may counter this argument by asserting that brain activity can be conscious of itself. Yet, by this argument they unconsciously admit that brain activity produces a consciousness which holds the power within itself to be conscious of brain activity.
So what exactly is this consciousness? All we seem to know about it is that it is a kind of invisible vapor that holds a useful power within itself to be aware of all reality. If consciousness can only be conscious of reality, then the usefulness of this invisible vapor must prove that it holds a separate reality. In addition, this separate reality also holds the power within itself to be conscious of consciousness itself. But this fact, in turn, only proves that consciousness can be conscious of itself being conscious of itself. This process could go on to infinity except that finite consciousness finds it impossible to carry this effort to infinity.
This self-consciousness that tends to reach toward infinity may show that humans possess a "spirit" that yearns to be reconnected to infinity. The usefulness of the idea of "infinity" tends to indicate the real existence of an Infinite Consciousness because a reality had to have existed prior to human reality. Humans possess a spirit that yearns to be reconnected to God. God Himself has provided the possibility of such a reconnection through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son.
Monday, January 2, 2012
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