Are the body and the "self" the same?
Yes
Side Score: 7
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No
Side Score: 10
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Typically we see ourselves as residing somewhere in our heads, looking through our eyes as if they were windows, that we aren't our bodies but "in" our bodies. This I think contributed to the concept of the soul. Yet we are nothing more than a bunch of neurons firing off in the brain. End the brain, and you end yourself. Side: yes
2
points
a bunch of neurons firing off in the brain Yes, but that requires energy and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It is just transformed. Maybe the body is like a cocoon and when we die we emerge, like a beautiful butterfly, into a different perception of reality that has 10 dimensions as described by String theory. I have no idea what I just said but parts of it sounded good and parts of it sounded Glee ;) Side: yes
Energy is fleeting. Your body is acquiring new energy and losing old energy every second of every day. It's not analogous to the "soul" because it doesn't stay together and it doesn't stay. When you die, you lose that energy primarily through heat loss (thus why dead bodies are cold). Side: No
As far as we have been able to tell so far, yes. We have absolutely no concrete, non-emotional, evidence for a soul or any such construct that exists beyond our physical body. And a fair majority of the personality traits we have historically associated with the soul have been shown to have a perfectly rational, physiological basis, with new ones being identified all of the time. Side: yes
1
point
If we are talking about this from a spiritual perspective I believe the answer is yes. Neglecting the body is detrimental to both your physical and spiritual being. The body is a temple for our "self" or "soul" which is why I believe the body is so important. We must take care of our bodies to truly care for our soul and vise versa. Also, denying the body is denying an important part of living thus limiting your spiritual growth. Side: yes
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2
points
The self is bigger than the body, The conceptualization of the self may be contained within the mind but this conceptualization draws on external facts such as your environment, job, family, etc. to form itself. Consider your name, you call yourself what you do because your parents or someone else did; not because its an inherent property of your body. Side: No
Yes & No, both but I don't know the ratio. Jaynes theorizes that ancient consciousness had no sense of an interior, directing self because of the bicameral brain working essentially independently of each other. Side: Yes and No
1
point
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