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Conditionalism and the anthropological monism, physicalism problem

by | Oct 11, 2018 | Annihilationism, Minor Groups & Issues

In my research on conditionalism, the majority of those who hold to it also affirm anthropological monism.  This means they equate the existence of the soul with the existence of the physical body. So, when the physical body dies, the soul ceases to exist. Please consider the following quotes.

  • “The Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, represent individual personality as a complex and totally mortal monism, a unity that can be viewed from different perspectives, but that cannot be broken into separately existing parts.”1
  • …man is one indivisible entity, not a combination of two, body and soul.”2
  • John [the apostle] has a distinctly monist view of human existence; in other words, man is one indivisible entity, not a combination of two, body and soul.”3

Monism and Physicalism

To address the error in the above quotes, I must first explain monism and physicalism since they both are relevant to the discussion.

Monism is is the view that everything consists of one basic substance.  This would mean that if God existed he would be one and the same substance as the physical universe. It would mean that energy, motion, matter, thought, experience, perception, and consciousness, etc. are all ultimately comprised of this one substance; yet, we perceive them differently. Monistic theology supports pantheism which teaches that everything, including God and nature, is one and the same.

Anthropological monism would maintain that the characteristics of a human being whether it be thought, soul, consciousness, or physical attributes, are all comprised of one single substance. Since the one substance is the same substance of the universe, matter, etc., then the human brain is part of the one substance as is everything else.  Since this one substance is governed by the laws of physics, then the mind is a property of the physical brain. Therefore, when the physical body dies, the human soul completely ceases to exist.

Physicalism is the view that everything that exists is matter and energy. This would mean that nonphysical entities such as God, angels, demons, numbers, moral laws, etc., cannot exist. This would further mean that the human soul has no separate existence apart from the physical body.

Anthropological physicalism, as it relates to the human being, does not necessarily deny God’s existence.  But, it is the position that the human person is only a physical thing and that the soul must be explained in physical terms, i.e., mass, volume, energy, properties, etc.  Therefore, the human being is a physical system without a separate soul.  When the physical body dies, the soul ceases to exist.

Self-refuting positions

Both anthropological monism and anthropological physicalism are self-refuting.  If something is self-refuting, it cannot be true.

  1. Both anthropological monism (AM) and anthropological physicalism (AP) teach that the human mind exists only as a product of the physical brain since, without the physical brain, the mind does not exist.
  2. But, the physical brain is limited to the laws of physics.
  3. Therefore, according to AM and AP, the human mind, which is a product of the physical brain, must also be limited to the laws of physics.
  4. The laws of physics govern physical phenomena.  For example…
    1. A 10-centimeter diameter carbon sphere falling on earth at sea level will always fall at a predictable rate.
    2. Energy cannot be created or destroyed.  It can only be transformed from one form to another.
    3. A pressure upon a liquid is equally distributed through itself.
  5. The laws of physics do not produce free will.  For example…
    1. One electro-chemical state in the brain which acts upon by another electro-chemical state in the brain, which can only react according to the laws of physics and chemistry, only produces other electro-chemical states.
    2. Such necessarily produced electro-chemical states negate free will.
    3. The negation of free will means the person is not free to affirm or deny AM or AP, but, instead is electro-chemically bound to affirm or deny either.
    4. Therefore, the truth or falsity of anthropological monism and anthropological physicalism cannot be known.
  6. The laws of physics do not produce proper logical inference.  For example…
    1. One electro-chemical state in the brain which acts upon another electro-chemical state in the brain only produces necessary electrochemical reactions which will always be the same given the same circumstances.
    2. Necessary electrochemical reactions do not proper logical inference, they only produce necessary electrochemical reactions and there would be no way to know if logical inferences were correct.  Therefore, they could not be trusted to be true in AM and AP
      1. An example of proper logical inference would be the mental process of logic:  All men are mortal.  Frank is a man.  Therefore, Frank is mortal.    Another example would be, if  A = B and B = C, then A = C.
  7. Therefore, both positions of AM and AP teach that the free will and logic used to uphold their own positions, cannot be trusted to be either free or logically necessary.
  8. Therefore, the two positions cannot be trusted to be true since they refute themselves.

2 Cor. 12:2

2 Corinthians 12:2–4, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”

2 Cor. 12:2 obviously refutes anthropological monism and anthropological physicalism since this is where Paul clearly teaches that a person “in the body…or out of the body…was caught up to the third heaven…and heard inexpressible words…”  This is biblical proof that the person’s spirit can exist “out of the body.”  If it were not so, Paul would not have taught it as a possibility. See the article Annihilationism and 2 Corinthians 12:2, in the body or out of the body, caught up to heaven.

Conclusion

Very simply stated, both anthropological monism and anthropological physicalism cannot be true.  First of all, they contradict scripture, particularly 2 Cor. 12:2.  Secondly, each system is self-refuting since they reduce the human mind to a function of the physical brain which in turn is limited to the laws of physics and chemistry. But, since the laws of physics and chemistry do not produce proper logical inference and since those positions logically lead to doubting themselves, then they ought to be abandoned.

References

References
1 Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism, Kindle Locations 2954-2956). Cascade Books, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. underline added
2 Ed., Date, Christopher M. and Highfiled, Ron. A Consuming Passion: Essays on Hell and Immortality in Honor of Edward Fudge, Pickwick Publications, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition. (Kindle Locations 4500-4501).  underline added
3 ibid. Locations 4500-4501, underline added

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