Retreat to the physical
If you have an atheistic world-view, it's very hard to even acknowledge the existence of the metaphysical. Does a soul exist? What is meaning? Do abstract things exist?
What I've seen in this case is that such people generally retreat to the physical in some way, usually to some brain chemistry. In a sense, I can't blame them. If you deny the metaphysical, the physical is all you have and the closest thing in the physical world to the spiritual is the brain.
Yet it's a profoundly unsatisfying explanation. It's an attempt to sneak in the numinous and pretending that the cheap knock-off brand is somehow just as good.
jimmysong /
npub10v…psp42
2023-07-06 19:05:42
Author Public Key
npub10vlhsqm4qar0g42p8g3plqyktmktd8hnprew45w638xzezgja95qapsp42Published at
2023-07-06 19:05:42Event JSON
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"content": "Retreat to the physical\n\nIf you have an atheistic world-view, it's very hard to even acknowledge the existence of the metaphysical. Does a soul exist? What is meaning? Do abstract things exist?\n\nWhat I've seen in this case is that such people generally retreat to the physical in some way, usually to some brain chemistry. In a sense, I can't blame them. If you deny the metaphysical, the physical is all you have and the closest thing in the physical world to the spiritual is the brain.\n\nYet it's a profoundly unsatisfying explanation. It's an attempt to sneak in the numinous and pretending that the cheap knock-off brand is somehow just as good. ",
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