What if faith is mere brain chemistry?

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Then you probably believe in other life in space. If there's just one globe mostly of water with people drinking beer - what are the odds, right? There's probably lots and lots of such planets, do I understand you correct?

Believe? Not a chance-- belief is claiming things are real, when they are not, and there is zero basis for the claim in the first place. So not even a little, do I believe in other life.

That would be kinda stupid.

Do I think the odds are pretty good, that there are? Yeah, although calculating the odds is somewhat difficult, considering what we know so far. Are there trillions upon trillions of yellow stars (roughly the same as our own sun) in the visible universe? Yes.

Just on that fact alone, means the odds are likely much higher than "tiny".

But believe? Not a chance-- I don't use faith. I'm not an idiot.

 

[paarsurrey]

Brain chemistry affects everything. With some things - like with love - the scientists aren't sure how much it affects and exactly how on each way, but they are sure it has a significant effect.

What if one day they find out that having faith in God - or lack thereof, as ever you like to look at it - is only a consequence of a certain type of brain chemistry?

Why think like that, please?

Regards

 

[Remté]

Why think like that, please?

Regards

You mean why wonder?

Why not?

 

[MonkeyFire]

Is there any evidence that faith is anything else?

Believing means life, and existence will go on. Without it you're quite hopeless.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Believing means life, and existence will go on. Without it you're quite hopeless.

Plenty of atheists seem to disagree. Beyond that, I think you need to read the comment my question was responding to again.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Believing means life, and existence will go on. Without it you're quite hopeless.

Not even slightly accurate. Do trees believe? Do they have faith of any kind?

Do bacteria? -- the *most* successful organism on Earth (as there are more of them than anything else).

No... faith is absolutely not a requirement for life, and continued existence.

As for hopelessness? I have zero faith-- especially how you mean it-- and I'm the opposite of hopeless. I actually hope that one day, adults will put away childish things like religion, myths, gods and what-not-- except as Morality Plays and Parables for Study.

Once human cultures evolve past the Invisible Friends stage? What may we accomplish as a collective?

We put a 90 day rover on Mars-- that lasted 15 years. If we put our collective minds together, we can literally travel to other stars.

 

[MonkeyFire]

Not even slightly accurate. Do trees believe? Do they have faith of any kind?

Do bacteria? -- the *most* successful organism on Earth (as there are more of them than anything else).

No... faith is absolutely not a requirement for life, and continued existence.

As for hopelessness? I have zero faith-- especially how you mean it-- and I'm the opposite of hopeless. I actually hope that one day, adults will put away childish things like religion, myths, gods and what-not-- except as Morality Plays and Parables for Study.

Once human cultures evolve past the Invisible Friends stage? What may we accomplish as a collective?

We put a 90 day rover on Mars-- that lasted 15 years. If we put our collective minds together, we can literally travel to other stars.

Trees don't need to believe on their own. There is only one FAITH.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Brain chemistry affects everything. With some things - like with love - the scientists aren't sure how much it affects and exactly how on each way, but they are sure it has a significant effect.

What if one day they find out that having faith in God - or lack thereof, as ever you like to look at it - is only a consequence of a certain type of brain chemistry?

It's a distinct possibility, or perhaps the result of minor differences in brain organization. This is one of the reasons I think what you do is far more important than what you believe.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Trees don't need to believe on their own. There is only one FAITH.

Nope. You claimed that without faith, there can be no life.

I proved otherwise. I also proved that your "one faith" is patently false, and without merit.

My examples illustrated this easily enough.

 

[MonkeyFire]

Nope. You claimed that without faith, there can be no life.

I proved otherwise. I also proved that your "one faith" is patently false, and without merit.

My examples illustrated this easily enough.

There is only one FAITH but though friendship all can have the fundamental of life without being it.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

There is only one FAITH but though friendship all can have the fundamental of life without being it.

Citation needed. I showed with examples, a couple of living organism that cannot possibly have faith-- not even **your** brand.

Yet they are quite alive, and bacteria? Are the most prolific thing on Earth (life-wise). Nevermind the numbers, the total weight of all the bacteria on earth outweighs all the other organisms, combined.

Even within the human body itself? More cells in and on your average human? Are bacteria cells-- you are more bacteria than you are human.

And since bacteria have no nervous system, no brain? They cannot possibly have faith.

Indeed: If the Earth were, in fact, Created? It's Creator loved Bacteria more than anything else.

 

[MonkeyFire]

Citation needed. I showed with examples, a couple of living organism that cannot possibly have faith-- not even **your** brand.

Yet they are quite alive, and bacteria? Are the most prolific thing on Earth (life-wise). Nevermind the numbers, the total weight of all the bacteria on earth outweighs all the other organisms, combined.

Even within the human body itself? More cells in and on your average human? Are bacteria cells-- you are more bacteria than you are human.

And since bacteria have no nervous system, no brain? They cannot possibly have faith.

Indeed: If the Earth were, in fact, Created? It's Creator loved Bacteria more than anything else.

FAITH doesn't require bacteria.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

FAITH doesn't require bacteria.

So? It does require a more-or-less working brain. Which excludes all plants, and bacteria too.

I was directly refuting your false claim that faith was a requirement for life/growth.

The only thing faith is a requirement for? Is belief in myths, fairy tales and other things that are patently not true.

Or worse-- you also need faith to believe in things for which there is zero evidence, like, say gods.

 

[MonkeyFire]

So? It does require a more-or-less working brain. Which excludes all plants, and bacteria too.

I was directly refuting your false claim that faith was a requirement for life/growth.

The only thing faith is a requirement for? Is belief in myths, fairy tales and other things that are patently not true.

Or worse-- you also need faith to believe in things for which there is zero evidence, like, say gods.

belief of life is hope
Without hope your doomed
Faith is the ultimate fundamental to nature

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

belief of life is hope.

But I just demontrated that life is quite possible without belief or hope. In fact? That sort of life is not only possible, it is far more successful than humans.... either going by population or environment or pure biomass. In each of those cases, humans are not #1.

Without hope your doomed.

False. See above: bacteria have no hope-- yet they are more successful than all humans, combined.

Faith is the ultimate fundamental to nature

False again. Most of nature has no faith, and in fact, is absolutely unaware of it-- what with not having brains.

 

[MonkeyFire]

False again. Most of nature has no faith, and in fact, is absolutely unaware of it-- what with not having brains.

Would a tree make a noise if it fell with no one to witness it.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Would a tree make a noise if it fell with no one to witness it.

Define "noise".

Define "witness".

We know gravity works-- and it works regardless if you have faith in it or not: you fall at the same rate, regardless of your level of faith in the theory of gravity.

We know that large falling items create vibrations when they strike the ground. So a falling tree will create vibrations when hitting the ground.

Since trees are pretty much never the only organism in a forest? There will be witnesses to the noise it creates.

None of that requires faith, hope or anything like that.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Brain chemistry affects everything. With some things - like with love - the scientists aren't sure how much it affects and exactly how on each way, but they are sure it has a significant effect.

What if one day they find out that having faith in God - or lack thereof, as ever you like to look at it - is only a consequence of a certain type of brain chemistry?

It's all dependent on brain chemistry.

Look at dementia. One day your a normal thinking person. The next you have no idea who or what you are.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

There is no evidence faith could be called brain chemistry or that it is the consequence of it alone. Man has naturally basic emotions based on which it suffices to say man naturally "has faith" in things and animals.

And emotions aren't the result of brain activity?

 

[Looncall]

belief of life is hope
Without hope your doomed
Faith is the ultimate fundamental to nature

Word salad.