The headline is facetious, of course. I'm a materialist, a philosophical as well as methodological naturalist.
But, in reference to ontological dualists, there's more good reason to be facetious.
Dogs and cats, even, and certainly other primates, might experience out of body experiences and near death experiences? Very interesting, and, neuroscience argues, likely true. Now the headline was fluff; dogs and cats, at least, surely don't have anything close to what we call "spiritual experiences."
But, a chimpanzee dancing himself or herself into a trance at the base of a waterfall? That's a different thing.
That said, of course, it doesn't have a soul, either.
This is a slice of my philosophical, lay scientific, musical, religious skepticism, and poetic musings. (All poems are my own.) The science and philosophy side meet in my study of cognitive philosophy; Dan Dennett was the first serious influence on me, but I've moved beyond him. The poems are somewhat related, as many are on philosophical or psychological themes. That includes existentialism and questions of selfhood, death, and more. Nature and other poems will also show up here on occasion.
Monday, October 10, 2011
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