J
JimG
Guest
OK, there are several meanings of ‘mental’, when used as an obverse of ‘physical.’
For example, some time back the Kansas legislature passed a law limiting late term abortions to cases wherein the abortion was necessary to (a) to preserve the life of the women or (b) if continuance of pregnancy would cause ‘substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.’
Now if I recall correctly, there was a court challenge as to whether the above included a mental health exception. The court ruled that certainly ‘major bodily function’ includes mental health. (Which was probably not the intent of the legislature.)
But this is not an abortion thread. My point is that in scientific (and legal) circles, mental is not separate from bodily, but a part of it.
Now, from a philosophical point of view, I partially agree and partially disagree.
Since a human being is composed of body and soul, and the soul is not material, the soul does have some ‘non-bodily’ functions—namely intellect and will.
Intellect, as a spiritual faculty of the soul, has the ability, you might say, to suck out all the matter from our sense experiences, leaving only the essence, or abstract idea. Now that’s a mental function.
Imagination can accompany the intellect, by supplying ‘mental’ images, sounds, and such; but those are really physical components. You could affect them by probing someone’s brain or providing an electrical stimulus to certain parts of it. Dreams result from activities within the brain, not the intellect.
Now, God doesn’t have a brain—only an intellect. There is no sensory (name removed by moderator)ut, no hormones, no chemicals, no changes in respiration, no dreams.
And I’ll stop there before God gets mad at me. But he wouldn’t do that.
For example, some time back the Kansas legislature passed a law limiting late term abortions to cases wherein the abortion was necessary to (a) to preserve the life of the women or (b) if continuance of pregnancy would cause ‘substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.’
Now if I recall correctly, there was a court challenge as to whether the above included a mental health exception. The court ruled that certainly ‘major bodily function’ includes mental health. (Which was probably not the intent of the legislature.)
But this is not an abortion thread. My point is that in scientific (and legal) circles, mental is not separate from bodily, but a part of it.
Now, from a philosophical point of view, I partially agree and partially disagree.
Since a human being is composed of body and soul, and the soul is not material, the soul does have some ‘non-bodily’ functions—namely intellect and will.
Intellect, as a spiritual faculty of the soul, has the ability, you might say, to suck out all the matter from our sense experiences, leaving only the essence, or abstract idea. Now that’s a mental function.
Imagination can accompany the intellect, by supplying ‘mental’ images, sounds, and such; but those are really physical components. You could affect them by probing someone’s brain or providing an electrical stimulus to certain parts of it. Dreams result from activities within the brain, not the intellect.
Now, God doesn’t have a brain—only an intellect. There is no sensory (name removed by moderator)ut, no hormones, no chemicals, no changes in respiration, no dreams.
And I’ll stop there before God gets mad at me. But he wouldn’t do that.
Please rephrase.