Quote Originally Posted by ermitonto
Well, if there's any source for the experience we call consciousness, the scientific data would point to its origin in the neural network of the brain. This, to me, is far more plausible than the "eternal immortal soul" theory, where something not made of matter or energy (like everything detectable in the universe) is somehow able to control our physical bodies through some mysterious forces, AND it has the power of reason and thinking, even though we already have scientific theories for those phenomena that don't postulate an entire transcendental universe of non-matter, non-energy "soul stuff" that we can't detect with any scientific instruments. If "souls" are in control of our bodies, why do we have brains? Why can we detect all sorts of phenomena pertaining to thought and consciousness by analyzing the activity in the human brain? Why does brain damage cause drastic changes to cognizance and personality (or one's "soul", if you will)? The evidence all points to consciousness being a product of the human brain, so it stands to reason that when the human brain ceases to function so too does our consciousness, just as surely as our blood circulation dies with the heart. We will experience nothing after death like we experienced nothing before birth. But people are afraid of the sudden termination of their consciousness, their experience, their acquaintance with anything and everything they've ever cherished, so they will continue to make up theories about how they will continue to experience consciousness for all eternity while I will make the best of the few decades I am grateful to have.
Very well put. I completely agree.