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Non-Physical Belief

Nakosis

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
25670-Nikola-Tesla-Quote-The-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical.jpg


So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical, let alone the existence of a non-physical God.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.

I can believe there is a non-physical million dollars in gold in my closet.
While maybe I can convince someone to buy my non-physical gold, they ain't going to be happy when I tell them there is no way to prove the gold they just bought exists. They are just going to have to trust me on that.

Yet folks continue to sell us a belief in the non-physical. :shrug:
 
The Sum of Awe

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Nakosis said:
25670-Nikola-Tesla-Quote-The-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical.jpg


So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical, let alone the existence of a non-physical God.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.

I can believe there is a non-physical million dollars in gold in my closet.
While maybe I can convince someone to buy my non-physical gold, they ain't going to be happy when I tell them there is no way to prove the gold they just bought exists. They are just going to have to trust me on that.

Yet folks continue to sell us a belief in the non-physical. :shrug:
Click to expand...
What about love?
 
lewisnotmiller

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
I think the quote is being taken out of context. Scientific proof is certainly a compelling form of evidence, but not the only form.

We don't rely only on scientific evidence to prosecute criminals, as a simple example. And if we're talking only about what is possible, or even 'more likely than not', the evidential threshold is even lower.
 
dybmh

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Wandering Monk said:
If your brainstem was dead and you were on life support, could you experience love? Of course not, which demonstrates that love is a physical phenomena.
Click to expand...
depends on the definition of love... you're describing a feeling, some describe it as a force.
 
mikkel_the_dane

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
Nakosis said:
25670-Nikola-Tesla-Quote-The-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical.jpg


So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical, let alone the existence of a non-physical God.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.

I can believe there is a non-physical million dollars in gold in my closet.
While maybe I can convince someone to buy my non-physical gold, they ain't going to be happy when I tell them there is no way to prove the gold they just bought exists. They are just going to have to trust me on that.

Yet folks continue to sell us a belief in the non-physical. :shrug:
Click to expand...

Yes, we can. But that doesn't mean that it is supernatural, it just means that is a mental behaviour that has no physical referent.

You are doing to much philosophy for a certain subculture within Western culture, that it is in a sense funny. You in effect deliver a mental and non-physical argument based on your cognition that all you do is physical. But your post is a case of mental reason and this a case of self-refereeing negation.
I.e. I treat everything as physical, but that I do that as treat is mental.
 
LuisDantas

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
In all honesty, I don't think that the expectations expressed by the quote in the OP are coherent with themselves.
 
1

1213

Well-Known Member
Nakosis said:
...
I can believe there is a non-physical million dollars in gold in my closet.
While maybe I can convince someone to buy my non-physical gold, they ain't going to be happy when I tell them there is no way to prove the gold they just bought exists. They are just going to have to trust me on that....
Click to expand...

That will work fine, many believe there is physical gold in US reserves. By what I know, Germany has their gold also there, but they can't get it, apparently because it could turn into non-physical, like vampire in sunlight. :D

But you may be late on this, because Gold ETF's exist already.
The Best Ways To Invest In Gold Without Holding It (investopedia.com)
 
PureX

PureX

Veteran Member
Nakosis said:
25670-Nikola-Tesla-Quote-The-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical.jpg


So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical, let alone the existence of a non-physical God.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.

I can believe there is a non-physical million dollars in gold in my closet.
While maybe I can convince someone to buy my non-physical gold, they ain't going to be happy when I tell them there is no way to prove the gold they just bought exists. They are just going to have to trust me on that.

Yet folks continue to sell us a belief in the non-physical. :shrug:
Click to expand...
Once we understand that our experiences are both physical and metaphysical (perception is also conception) then we will realize that metaphysicality is self-evident and needs no further proof of it's existence.
 
Twilight Hue

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Nakosis said:
25670-Nikola-Tesla-Quote-The-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical.jpg


So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical, let alone the existence of a non-physical God.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.

I can believe there is a non-physical million dollars in gold in my closet.
While maybe I can convince someone to buy my non-physical gold, they ain't going to be happy when I tell them there is no way to prove the gold they just bought exists. They are just going to have to trust me on that.

Yet folks continue to sell us a belief in the non-physical. :shrug:
Click to expand...
Believing in something that is not actually there is particular for sure.

It might be from evolution as a mental mechanism for not getting into situations or that quest for an easy explanation with things that require a substantial amount of thinking, investigation, and effort to explain.
 
mikkel_the_dane

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
Twilight Hue said:
Believing in something that is not actually there is particular for sure.

It might be from evolution as a mental mechanism for not getting into situations or that quest for an easy explanation with things that require a substantial amount of thinking, investigation, and effort to explain.
Click to expand...

You have no rights and freedom, because they are nothing but an idea in your mind, for something that is not actually there.
 
9-10ths_Penguin

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Nakosis said:
25670-Nikola-Tesla-Quote-The-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical.jpg


So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical, let alone the existence of a non-physical God.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.

I can believe there is a non-physical million dollars in gold in my closet.
While maybe I can convince someone to buy my non-physical gold, they ain't going to be happy when I tell them there is no way to prove the gold they just bought exists. They are just going to have to trust me on that.

Yet folks continue to sell us a belief in the non-physical. :shrug:
Click to expand...
As far as I can tell, the limits of what is "physical" (as opposed to "non-physical") or "natural" (as opposed to "supernatural") are only based on the level of evidence for a thing: if there's enough evidence to clearly demonstrate that a thing exists, we call it physical. If there isn't, but we're heavily invested in it being true, we call it "non-physical" and believe in it with an unwarranted level of conviction.

This means that the idea of using science to study the "non-physical" is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Once science examines something, it ceases to be "non-physical."
 
mikkel_the_dane

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
9-10ths_Penguin said:
As far as I can tell, the limits of what is "physical" (as opposed to "non-physical") or "natural" (as opposed to "supernatural") are only based on the level of evidence for a thing: if there's enough evidence to clearly demonstrate that a thing exists, we call it physical. If there isn't, but we're heavily invested in it being true, we call it "non-physical" and believe in it with an unwarranted level of conviction.

This means that the idea of using science to study the "non-physical" is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Once science examines something, it ceases to be "non-physical."
Click to expand...

No, because there is no natural science theory of morality, utility, politics and other human behaviours.
 
Quintessence

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical...

Sure we can. Proof is an argument for helping establish the truth of a statement. Proofs for non-physical aspects of reality have been presented many, many times by many, many sources. Whether or not you or anyone else personally accepts it is another matter.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?

Because it is intuitively obvious that certain things are, by definition, not physical. Ideas and concepts, for one, are not physical. The concept of "existence" and what that means is another.

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.

Not really, no. Why would you say that?
 
Wandering Monk

Wandering Monk

Well-Known Member
Quintessence said:
So we can't prove the existence of anything that is not physical...

Sure we can. Proof is an argument for helping establish the truth of a statement.
Click to expand...


This is not the same as empirical evidence.

Why believe in the existence of anything that is not physical?
Click to expand...
Because it is intuitively obvious that certain things are, by definition, not physical. Ideas and concepts, for one, are not physical. The concept of "existence" and what that means is another.
Click to expand...


Ideas require a physical medium, namely the brain.

To claim something is spiritual (non-physical) you are saying there is no way to verify that it exists.
Click to expand...
Not really, no. Why would you say that?
Click to expand...

How do you measure spiritual things? What instruments would you use?
 
Nakosis

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
LuisDantas said:
In all honesty, I don't think that the expectations expressed by the quote in the OP are coherent with themselves.
Click to expand...

Me either, but I put it as a counter point to my argument.
I was surprised this was a quote attributed to Tesla but, this was an earlier scientific era.
 
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