Quote:Zinjanthropos
If Ostro can do it then why can't I?
The same question can be asked of many things. There is no way of answering this.
It is believed that matter contains information. And where there is information there is mind. The universe is more than the sum of its parts. It is not merely matter but mind as well. This might mean little to you but my genes have enabled me to witness this truth on a regular basis.
Subjectivity is needed in order to self-determine oneself from the object world and thus create meaning/ information (without meaning objects give no distinctive information and thus both objects and their characteristic interpretation in relation to the self and the ability to distinguish between mind and body will be lost, the mind must distinguish the physical self from objects otherwise one looks at all things without recognition or priority) and to be given it by concentrating on The Provider and Creator of meaning/information.
Quote:Zinjanthropos
Chimps observed throwing rocks at a specific (sacred) tree has been interpreted by some to mean the apes have a belief in a deity. Perhaps we still carry in our DNA the very gene responsible for such primitive behavior. Last time I checked, the chimps shared a common ancestor with us. God.belief, a remnant of our prehistoric ancestry? Far fetched but don't discount your DNA containing a gene that causes you to exhibit some.sort of ancestral trait..
This particular situation is very haphazard. You are talking about a chimp having mere beliefs whereas I am talking about something completely different - a transition into another realm.