Dan did it again

Another fine interview with Daniel C. Dennett, on religion:

I take it you do not subscribe to the idea of an everlasting soul, which is part of almost every religion.

Ugh. I certainly don’t believe in the soul as an enduring entity. Our brains are made of neurons, and nothing else. Nerve cells are very complicated mechanical systems. You take enough of those, and you put them together, and you get a soul.

That strikes me as a very reductive and uninteresting approach to religious feeling.

Love can be studied scientifically, too.

But what’s the point of that? Wouldn’t it be more worthwhile to spend your time and research money looking for a cure for AIDS?

How about if we study hatred and fear? Don’t you think that would be worthwhile?


[x]#1647 fan zondag 22 januari 2006 @ 23:57:02