I have not had opportunity to read further on this subject. But I have cogitated upon it at some length.
It occurs to me that the lower animals are seen to make choices, yet no one proclaims them to possess a soul.
I have watched one mare come to the mistaken belief that another mare was a danger to the first's foal. AND HOW DID YOU VERIFY HER "BELIEF"? And saw her take action on that belief. I do not think there was anything metaphysical about the situation. WHY?
We know there have been several species of humanoids upon this planet. DO "WE KNOW" THIS OR IS IT THEORETICAL? That evidence is undeniable. Yet, as i understand, only one species can be made in the likeness of God. Only one of those species should have been endowed with the ability to make metaphysical choices.
But we know for a fact that more than one species made tools, created fire, and at least one interbred with Homo Sapiens. DO "WE KNOW" THIS OR IS IT THEORETICAL?
People study skulls recovered from archeological digs. They can see evidence of evolution of the human brain over millennia through the depressions left inside the skull by the various lobes of the brain.
Those people can correlate the newly developed growth of a particular lobe in the ancient brain with a newly discovered talent in the human species. And they can correlate both of these occurrences to the appearance of a new gene in human DNA. SUCH "CORRELATION" IS QUITE WEAK - NOT ACCEPTED FACT.
For example, cave art appeared at a particular point in history. WHICH PARTICULAR POINT? OR IS THIS NOT SO "PARTICULAR"? Also at that point in history the human skull showed evidence of enlargement in the lobe of the brain which has been proven - (ACTUALLY "PROVEN" ?) to be responsible for artistic expression. And also a new gene was identified in those remains which caused (ACTUALLY "CAUSED"?) that development. THOSE SEEM LIKE SOME GREAT LEAPS OF FAITH REGARDING PROOF AND CAUSATION.
There are other examples relating to the use of tools, language, and the building of cities.
Considering these facts, I can only conclude that Human free choice and creativity are relegated to the field of the metaphysical only because the bio-mechanical workings of the human brain are not at this point fully understood.
Though out all of known history, man has encountered unexplainable phenomena. Those phenomena are typically explained away via myth, or as magic. Then Science advances, and the mystery of one phenomena after anther is explained away. And mythology moves on to attempt to explain the next misunderstood phenomena.
Based upon my knowledge at this point in time, I believe metaphysics to be nothing more than modern mythology. BASED ON MY KNOWLEDGE AT THIS POINT, GIVEN ONLY THE ABOVE, I AM THINKING THAT YOUR CONCLUSION IS ON A SANDY FOUNDATION.
I could lay the skulls out on the table in front of you, and still you would deny the evidence.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
