It is not the material/physical body that enjoys material things, for when the material body dies, it is just like the dust; it is your spiritual soul or divine mind that does the enjoying. Unfortunately, for many of us, the spiritual soul has too strong of a connection with the material body and is too concerned about its comfort.
Moral convictions based on spiritual enlightenment and rooted in human experience are just as real and certain as mathematical deductions based on physical observations, but on another and higher level.
Urantia Paper 195.6
From Wikipedia – Materialism: The philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is matter, and is considered a form of physicalism. Fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions; therefore, matter is the only substance.
Do you think so?
Science is unwittingly responsible for our present day materialistic pursuits (although science minded folks will blame religion for everything). Delighted and fascinated are they with their practical discoveries and inventions – so much so that they compel and demand our allegiance and participation – almost like a religion! But underneath all of this excitement is a rock solid spiritual foundation.
Materialism promotes by its very existence the idea that man must perform like a machine, because a machine can do it better and faster; we should strive to be like the machine (presumably, instead of like God). But we must remember that we are the purpose for the machines' existence. The machine exists to satisfy our needs. We designed the machine, it did not design us, nor does it define us. It is nothing. The machine is designed for the physical body and is not concerned with the spiritual realm.
Did mind emerge from matter, or did matter emerge from mind? If man is only matter, then how does he know he is only matter?
Machines, and science, should enhance our lives, our enjoyment, and expand our horizons. They should serve us and not take away anything from us. If it does not do this then it is bad science and is destructive and harmful.
Does a machine value another machine? Do they appreciate and respect their contribution? Is the machine even aware of its own purpose? Can it change its purpose at will? We can – which is all the evidence one needs to realize that we are more than a machine, more than matter. We are not matter, but we do matter!
Many people have a mechanistic view of life, for instance believing that efficiency and profit are all that matters. You can walk into any discount store nowadays without even interacting with another human being. Self-serve shopping and self-checkout lanes – why not just leave your money at the door and skip the whole shopping experience altogether? You can even do your shopping on the computer, and you don't even have to leave your house, your merchandise will be delivered right to your door! How convenient, right? Human interaction is being methodically, intentionally or un-intentionally, eliminated from our world.
So, is this bad or good? What happens to humanity when the only level of personal, human interaction comes about as a result of our own determined efforts to be with other people? Are we eliminating everyday human interactions, like shopping and working, at our own peril; or are we creating an opportunity for more meaningful and personal human relationships to develop? Perhaps it depends on our perception. Maybe we can have both – maybe we can bring back the human cashier and the human worker and still develop the more meaningful and personal relationships in other areas. I think we need both. The human is capable of seeing things that a machine could never see (never say never?). I wonder if the company CEO realizes the profit potential of each human being, and ignores it as his own peril. I wonder if they can ever get past human weirdness, quirkiness, difficulties and mistakes; and see how valuable we really are to them, their companies, and to each other.
Do you think it's true that man must be more than matter (material), since he recognizes his materialness? Machines deteriorate, man deteriorates. Machines do not progress without human intervention. Humans create their own progress.
Do you think a machine could ever create? Well, we're actually closer to that then you might realize. Artificial Intelligence is mechanistic intelligence that will soon surpass the creative intelligence of human beings. That is, the intelligence of one individual, not necessarily our collective intelligence. There will come a day, maybe it's here already, when we will rely on this artificial intelligence to live our lives and to make choices. But we should remember that we created the machine that can do this – we fed it with information, statistics, and the ability to calculate (almost thinking). So when we have access to a machine that is smarter than we are, smarter even than a 5th grader, J will we be angry K at what we have done, or will this open up some sort of undiscovered reality for us?
Science, math and machines materialize because of our mind. Without us, it all ceases to exist. If I sit and philosophize, if I put my philosophy on my computer machine and broadcast it to the far corners of the earth, does it even matter if no one is there to hear it or read it? Don't I need another philosopher or interested individual to pick apart or validate my thoughts? What do I care if my machine can analyze my philosophy? The machine means nothing to me in the whole scheme of things. It's the connection to other human beings that is meaningful and important to me.
Likewise, is it significant to God that matter, the dirt of the earth, the water in the sea, functions as a result of his expectations? Well, it might be important, maybe even significant, I don't know, but this was not the reason he created it all – he created it to serve a higher purpose. This is why we create machines and other material things – but sometimes we lose sight of the higher purpose.
The ultra-materialist, the one who uses material/matter for his own gain, denies God. Secularism, the materialist's cousin, ignores God and believes it can replace God with methodologies. We should know that the more material and secular we become, the more unhappy and even violent we can become. We must use the machines and other matter we create to assist us in our endeavors to connect with our higher purpose.
It is not necessary to sacrifice faith in God in order to enjoy the blessings of the modern secularistic revolt: tolerance, social service, democratic government, and civil liberties. It was not necessary for the secularists to antagonize true religion in order to promote science and to advance education.
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Secular social and political optimism is an illusion. Without God, neither freedom and liberty, nor property and wealth will lead to peace.
Urantia Paper 195:.8.8 & 12
References:
Sources used for this presentation
Urantia Book Paper 195
Truthbook.com: Materialism
Wikipedia: Materialism
