Scientists might be able to explain the how of "soul," but I don't see how that would necessarily negate the philosophy of it.
I don’t think it will „negate†any philosophy. And it wouldn’t „prove†anything either, because as you say, science can answer the „how†questions, not the „why†ones.
What I was trying to say is more along the lines of the following parallel:
Diamonds. Nice, shiny, hard, valuable stones. They were discovered in nature (I mean in natural form) and humans got to cut and shape them (also to price them) but also they got to understand what they are and how were they formed. Special conditions of pressure and temperature, makes the carbon crystallize in a particularly symmetrical form, producing the beautiful, shiny “stoneâ€. It happened naturally in many places during the “hot†history of the Earth.
Also, I suppose the cavemen couldn’t duplicate such conditions in controlled environments, but if they had encountered one, they would have been in awe at the sight of such beauty. Nowadays we can produce artificial diamonds, mostly for technological purposes (e.g. cutting edges). There is no “mystery†in their existence anymore. We know “where they come from†and we can duplicate them.
Now, with the consciousness/will/“soul†concept. Maybe we discover another “dimension†where a fuzzy substance reside, and the conditions that “make†it “coagulate†and manifest in our plane of perception as being self-aware. Conditions like a sufficiently complex biological structure and/or electronic circuit for example. We could “produce†self-aware artificial beings, that for all intents and purposes would posses a “soul†as genuine as ours. That, in my opinion, would eliminate the “mystery†of their existence in our plane of perception, at least.
What I’m getting at, is that science can get to show that MAYBE many “creations†that we find in this Universe are the result of “random accidentsâ€, and nothing more. No need for a “creator†for the diamonds, nor “consciousnessesâ€.
I’d like to say, for the record, that I see this as just a very remote possibility and that I don’t claim it “proves†anything, and that I respect all those who need to believe that we are more than “mere accidents†in a physical Universe.
A.
PS: BTW, thank you all for your answers, I enjoy learning more and more about interpretations and points of view here.
It's all just a matter of interpretation.
