Consciousness is the only known phenomenon in the universe that can observe itself.
This observation arises from within.
This fundamental truth puzzles experts, who find it impossible to explain consciousness in purely physical terms. It transcends the physical; it requires something deeper that no computer can possess.
While medical science can measure the external aspects of consciousness, the internal experience remains elusive.
There’s no universally accepted definition of inward consciousness.
All definitions of consciousness are inherently circular, often using synonyms to explain it. It represents the ability to be aware of one’s own awareness. Trying to define consciousness with the term itself proves unhelpful.
Searching for consciousness in the brain is akin to searching for music within a violin. Music requires a composer, a musician, and a listener to truly exist.
The brain serves as the instrument of thought, not its origin. Brain damage can impair consciousness, just as a damaged violin can affect music, yet the violin is not the music itself.
Physical science is an incredible tool for exploring the physical world, but the saying holds true: when your only tool is a hammer, every problem appears as a nail. The issue lies not with physical science itself but with physicalism. Some scientists fall into this trap, asserting that everything can be explained through physics.
Consciousness breaks this cycle. While physicalists may argue that consciousness is an illusion, they struggle to define who experiences that illusion. Can an illusion perceive another illusion?
To truly grasp consciousness, one must view it within its natural context. It forms part of the triunity of life, consciousness, and free will.
Life is not merely the chemistry studied by biologists; it embodies the life force that organizes chemicals into living beings. This life force is what enables consciousness. Human consciousness stands out in the physical realm as it can exercise independent agency and free will. Our free will empowers us to make moral choices that go beyond mere cause-and-effect.
Free will is what makes us accountable for our actions. Without it, we would be passive observers in our lives rather than active participants.
But there’s more.
The existence of the physical universe points to a creative force. This force does more than declare, “Let there be”; it organizes what would otherwise remain “formless and void” into a finely tuned symphony of natural law.
It is this creative force that breathed life into the first human and has been passed down to us as a free gift, for us to use as we choose, for good or ill.
Good and evil elude purely physical definitions. A strictly physicalist view claims they do not exist, labeling them as mere subjective opinions arising from physical neurons. In this worldview, they are as illusory as music would be without a soul to underpin it.
An overwhelming amount of physical evidence is increasingly recognized by a new generation of scientists, leading to the conclusion that you are not defined by your DNA. In fact, DNA is no longer seen as the ultimate blueprint for your body, as geneticists once believed. Instead, it codes for proteins, the essential building blocks of living organisms. Yet, DNA remains a miraculous molecule, containing intricately complex instructions beyond the capabilities of any computer.
Why certain cells become bone cells, while others develop into brain cells, remains a profound mystery—one that DNA alone cannot elucidate.
This is just one of countless mysteries that lie beyond the reach of physicalism. It’s time for physical science to turn a new page. A fitting starting point could be Genesis 1:1.
