Do We Exist As a Material Person In a Material World?

JamesThomas

This may at first seem a strange question. But it may be an extremely important question to ask.

Let's start with the weird fact that only one in ten, or rather 10% of the cells in/on our physical body -- is what we would call "us". The other 90% are bacteria.

We just drastically shrunk by 90%. However, "we" get way, way smaller still.

All material existence (including ourselves) is made of atoms. It is said that 99.99999...% of an atom is empty space: so much so that if the empty space within all the atoms of all humans on the earth today could be removed, the remaining "solid" particles would be reduced to the size of a sugar-cube. A fucking sugar-cube! Where in the hell is each one of us in that tiny teaspoon of sugar? Certainly we are unimaginably less than a grain.
(actually, a sugar-cube containing all human existence, seems extremely HUGE when we consider that a millisecond after the Big-Bang ALL the material of the entire universe was compressed to the size of a grain of rice or smaller). Go figure.

Anyhow, as strange as this is, as we shrink down more still. All the "material particles" within the "seemingly" solid sugar-cube are NOT made of solid matter at all, but rather they are made of (as far as we know) vibrating-strings of non-material energy. So, our cherished personal ownership of 1/7,000,000,000th of the sugar cube, just shrank to nothing at all. Nada. Zip.

It seems that the non-material consciousness within all of us, that which perceives a "world" of persons, places, and things -- may be all that really exists.

j

still thinking

90% are bacteria?

Sulla

Well, that's just an argument which asserts matter does not exist. Not sure that's a good place to start...

Bobcat

"vibrating-strings of non-material energy"

I take it that is a reference to super-string theory. (I think "M theory" is more current.)

At any rate, as I understand it, "empty space" is actually a misnomer. The same physicists who have offered the idea of "vibrating strings" (which I also find interesting and quite plausible), but those same physicists would tell you that what appears to be empty space is actually chock full of various forces that are themselves made up of the same "vibrating strings" as are the particles making up our atoms.

Even so, it is sobering that what we think of as our solid selves could actually be a rather flimsy collection of stuff. Like it says in James, 'we are a mist appearing for a little while , then disappearing.'

cofty

String theory is a failed hypothesis

botchtowersociety

I think matter is real, but we are more than just matter.

Twitch

If the atoms that are part of the brain that made the OP are nothing, then any discussion here is irrevelant.

lol

JamesThomas

String and or "M" Theory is contingent on fundamental, non-material, vibrating energy. Because if the vibrating energy was made of solid particles, then we are back at square one. What are these particles made of? And then what are those particles made of...

According to modern day physics, it points to the fact that the fundamental building block of all reality is non-material. When you make something out of nothing, what do you have? You may have the appearance of some real solid thing, but again reduce it to its core and there is nothing.

Remember, we never experience an actual world. We only experience energetic stimulations of senses that then send electrical signals to the brain that creates an artificial "reality".

j

botchtowersociety

Remember, we never experience an actual world. We only experience energetic stimulations of senses that then send electrical signals to the brain that creates an artificial "reality".

In which case, none of us is real, and you are just stroking an immaterial mental protuberance.

JamesThomas

Exactly.

Do We Exist As a Material Person In a Material World?

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