I think you have a Cartesian understanding of the mind, which is not necessarily what the Church teaches. For Cartesian dualists, it’s the mind that’s conscious, not the body. The body is just a vehicle and a machine.
Alzheimer’s is what happens when the soul wills the abandonment of memories because it wishes to exit this world. It is perceived and experienced as a disease by modern man because modern man is obsessed with extending his life in this world, and is extremely attached to this recollections. This unhealthy attachment however, is seated not in the soul, but in the (abused) intellect. In other words, Alzheimer’s is a situation where the soul’s will (which is man’s true will) is at odds with the intellect’s will (which is a false pseudo-will, a.k.a. intent). The physical deterioration of the brain is simply the expression on the physical plane of this process. It does not prove that the soul is seated in the brain.
Where do you get this idea from?
You seem surprised? I’m afraid I can’t disclose the one who taught me this, but I can guarantee you he’s an authority of some calibre, and in excellent standing with the Church. I hope that helps.
@liseux I know some too, and you are right. The person’s wishes are different from the soul’s will, and this is what creates conflict, distress, fear, etc. The soul’s will is perfectly aligned with God’s will, but the person’s wishes are not. As persons, we typically wish to extend wordly life regardless of our soul’s wish to return. We are afraid of leaving. This can create terrible agony as the person struggles with these opposing forces inside himself or herself. And it is worse when these opposing forces are not understood (as is usually the case), because then a great deal of confusion arises as well.
Yes, because you shifted Alzheimer’s as a biological reality to some contrived notion of “a situation where the soul’s will (which is man’s true will) is at odds with the intellect’s will.” Seems odd to me!
@catholic1seeks I’m not denying it’s a biological reality; why would I? But as you agreed earlier in the thread, man’s soul and his body are not dichotomous as Plato would have it. Rather, the body is an “expression” of the soul, and it’s biological reality corresponds to the soul’s state. In the case of Alzheimer’s, the underlying "movement’ in the soul is its Will to depart. As I replied to @liseux, this does not lessen or disparage the patient’s suffering, because his/her conscious wishes are usually to remain in the world a little longer. This distinction between the soul’s Will and the person’s wishes is not contrived. It is the cause of much of man’s struggles with his mortality.
Just to clarify for other readers, this isn’t anything specifically taught by the Church’s ordinary or extraordinary Magisterium, and it’s not what @catholic1seeks or I were referring to.catholic1seeks:
@catholic1seeks I’m not denying it’s a biological reality; why would I? But as you agreed earlier in the thread, man’s soul and his body are not dichotomous as Plato would have it. Rather, the body is an “expression” of the soul, and it’s biological reality corresponds to the soul’s state. In the case of Alzheimer’s, the underlying "movement’ in the soul is its Will to depart. As I replied to @liseux, this does not lessen or disparage the patient’s suffering, because his/her conscious wishes are usually to remain in the world a little longer. This distinction between the soul’s Will and the person’s wishes is not contrived. It is the cause of much of man’s struggles with his mortality.
@liseux As Wesrock wrote, it isn’t specifically taught by the RCC magisterium. Nevertheless, it is not in conflict with RCC teaching either, nor with NT scripture. I’m offering it because it comes from a source of excellent standing, and because it is experientially verifiable, metaphysically sound, and – most importantly – of exceptional therapeutic value for those suffering Alzheimer’s.