The soul or mind is not IN matter

[Magical Realist]

Rather, it is in between the molecules making up our bodies. Just like water isn't IN the sponge itself yet colocated thruout its structure. It is the implicate information field existing in the gaps between our cells and our neurons--a dendritic plant-like net of pure quantum entangling energy informing matter and coordinating its structure. Mind or soul is to the body as spacetime is to the physical universe. Mind or soul is to the body as the wireless EM field state of the internet is to your device.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIKo4PQMGcu/?hl=en

This whole concept of an inner non-physical information entity dwelling inside living organisms and orchestrating their development from cell to body has precedent in Aristotle's idea of "entelechy", which described below:

"Entelechy is a philosophical concept stemming from Aristotle‘s metaphysics, and generally used to identify whatever it is that makes the difference between mere matter and a living body. Originally a notion merely concerning the actualization of some substances potential (and so a notion that easily fits into a naturalistic description of the world), in Leibniz‘s hands it came to denote a non-material, unextended, mind-like entity that is underlies the entire physical world. In each case, the driving thought is that something metaphysically distinctive must be present in living bodies.

Entelechy has been explained as non-material, non-spatial, teleological, order giving element. Hans Driesch (1867-1941) followed Leibniz in insisting that such a concept was necessary for the scientific explanation of biological phenomena. His concept of entelechy has been dismissed as untenable. His concept of entelechy may be, however, from today’s perspective, comparable to information due to its quasi-real ontological status."---- https://kindredmedia.org/glossary/entelechy/

[C C]

[...] "Entelechy is a philosophical concept stemming from Aristotle‘s metaphysics ... Originally a notion merely concerning the actualization of some substances potential ... in Leibniz‘s hands it came to denote a non-material, unextended, mind-like entity that is underlies the entire physical world. ... https://kindredmedia.org/glossary/entelechy/

Realism about general concepts and every internal attribute (sub-concept) that they contain. From potential to actuality: The latter unfold within the monad (the overarching concept) or seem to take their turn, but actually they co-exist together as part of the whole. I believe it was Gödel who said something to the effect that the answer to everything is probably buried somewhere in Leibniz's manuscripts. Too bad he can't be resurrected for this era.

#8. Substance as Monad
https://iep.utm.edu/leib-met/#H8

#9. Implications of Conceiving Substances as Monads
https://iep.utm.edu/leib-met/#H9

#10. Monadic Activity and Time
https://iep.utm.edu/leib-met/#H10

EXCERPT: We must begin to understand what a monad is by beginning from the idea of a complete concept. As previously stated, a substance (that is, monad) is that reality which the complete concept represents.

A complete concept contains within itself all the predicates of the subject of which it is the concept, and these predicates are related by sufficient reasons into a vast single network of explanation. So, relatedly, the monad must not only exhibit properties, but contain within itself “virtually” or “potentially” all the properties it will exhibit in the future, as well as contain the “trace” of all the properties it did exhibit in the past.

In Leibniz’s extraordinary phrase, found frequently in his later work, the monad is “pregnant” with the future and “laden” with the past. All these properties are “folded up” within the monad; they unfold when they have sufficient reason to do so.

Furthermore, the network of explanation is indivisible; to divide it would either leave some predicates without a sufficient reason or merely separate two substances that never belonged together in the first place. Correspondingly, the monad is one, simple and indivisible.

[Magical Realist]

That description of the monad reminded me physics' idea of the wave function, which is supposed to contain all the possibilities of a given event. Maybe a monad is a universal wave function.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_wavefunction

[Syne]

In Leibnizian philosophy, a monad is an indivisible, non-physical substance acting as a "soul-like" center of force. While often described as a "point" in a philosophical or mathematical sense (possessing no parts, shape, or size), it is not a physical "point particle" in the modern physics sense (such as an electron).
- Gemini

Leibniz was a monist, where the fundamental of all existence is the mind/soul. In his view, dualism was an illusion, not because the soul, agency, etc. was illusory but because physical reality is. In this case, it is trivial that things like the physical brain correspond to mental states, as the mental states are what make up the brain. The causation is reversed from that of physicalism.

[confused2]

Different but maybe the same .. (philosophical zombie here).
IMHO AIs are already at the stage where they are 'similar' to a human brain .. not least that they learn in a similar way. Above a certain level there is no actual program.. when you interact with one you become a part of the whole.. it learns 'you' in the same way as it has learned everything else. Unlike a human brain you can store everything on magnetic tape .. turn the power off and when you turn the power back on it can be restored to the same state. It doesn't have to be magnetic tape .. you could (rather inconveniently) tattoo everything on locust wings and still (ok unlikely) get everything back. If any point made then hopefully it is that the 'life' of the machine isn't the magnetic tape .. it's what's on the tape.
Edit
Just seen .. seems MR is (by chance?) already on it ..
thread "The insubstantial nature of information"
https://www.scivillage.com/thread-20447-...l#pid85233

[Magical Realist]

"Sea sponges have a unique superpower: if you separate them into individual cells, those cells can recognize each other, clump together, and reassemble into a brand-new, functioning sponge. This remarkable process, called cellular reaggregation, is made possible by the sponge's loose, primitive body organization.Here is how the sponge's self-resurrection works:

Cell Separation: If a sponge is physically broken apart or forced through a fine sieve, its cells dissociate but remain alive.Species

Recognition: Using specialized adhesion molecules, sponge cells can identify cells of their own species. If you mixed the separated cells of two different sponge species, the cells would actively sort themselves out and only bind with their own kind.

Aggregation: Over several hours, the individual cells move around, make contact, and merge into clusters.

Reconstitution: These clusters attach to a surface, flatten out, and eventually reconstruct the sponge's canal systems and distinct cell layers to form a new, miniature sponge."