Source Text
Remind yourself that while humanity has come a long way, there is still a lot that we do not know. For example, ~96 percent of the universe is mysterious “dark matter” and “dark energy,” about which we know very little.
“materialism”—the notion that physical material, known as “matter,” is fundamental in the universe. In other words, matter is the basis of all reality. Everything is comprised of matter, and everything can be reduced to matter.
The basic thinking is as follows: There was a “Big Bang” 13.8 billion years ago that started the universe. Units of matter—atoms—interacted throughout the universe. The interactions of matter are commonly called “chemistry.” After countless, random chemical reactions, self-replicating molecules known as DNA eventually formed on Earth. DNA molecules served as the building blocks for the evolution of life. Human beings and other organisms evolved and developed brains. The brain enabled humans to have minds and awareness: an “inner experience” sometimes called “consciousness.”
Because materialism assumes that the brain produces consciousness, when your brain dies, your consciousness dies.
However, simple introspection revealed that materialism is a superstitious belief system that cannot be proven.
Technically, no, we cannot prove it. If there were no conscious observers, there would be no living beings to confirm that anything existed.3
The materialist point of view asserts the reality of that which is never experienced—matter [outside consciousness]—and denies that which alone is always experienced—consciousness itself.
Materialism’s logic is twisted when you break it down. You might need to read this slowly. ❍ Matter’s existence before consciousness, as described above, cannot be known for sure. We just showed that. Therefore, matter’s existence before consciousness is “unknown.” In other words, it is an abstraction. ❍ Conversely, we know that we have conscious experience—you are conscious as you read these words. So, consciousness is unquestionably “known.” In other words, it is concrete.
There is no controlled, double-blind study that science can conduct to conclusively prove that matter preexisted consciousness.
cannot prove that my conception is right, but that is my religion.”8 That’s right, folks, Einstein said it: The foundation of modern science—ironically—is a form of religion.
AI Summary
An End to Upside Down Thinking by Mark Gober presents key insights from the contemplative tradition. The 10 passages above capture the essential teachings.
Core Themes:
- [To be expanded]
Key Passages: Highlights 1, 3, and 10 are particularly representative.
This entry was generated from Readwise highlights. Expand with additional context as appropriate.