Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] stem cell research - was more on data fabrication - soul?

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006, Christian M. Cepel wrote:

> Mike Miller wrote:
> > I would say that "the soul" is part of your mystical belief system and 
> > that there is no such thing as a "soul."  You can define the term, but not 
> > in a way that allows us to undertake scientific studies of "the soul." So 
> > I would say that there is very little value in the concept.
>
> One definition for "the soul" has no religious connotations attached. 
> Many consider the soul to be the same essence that is life.

Are you suggesting that "the same essence that is life" is something we 
can study scientifically?


> Why when something has been dead for only a very brief time can we not 
> restart the machine.  Yes I know that we can in a lot of cases, but 
> likewise in many cases we cannot.

It depends on what you mean by "dead."  People's hearts can stop for even 
several minutes under some conditions and they can be restarted with 
defibrillators and they go on living.  We might say that they weren't 
really dead yet, but what does "dead" mean?


> Maybe this is more philosophical than practical.  It just gets to me 
> that we can jumpstart all the organ systems needed for the body to work, 
> but once that essence is gone, it's gone.  Kinda depressing.

There is no "essence."

Mike

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