Must We Choose Between Naturalism and Supernaturalism in Accounting for the Origin of Human Consciousness?

Introduction

The quest to understand the origin of human consciousness has long been a subject of intense debate. It transcends disciplinary boundaries, engaging philosophers, neuroscientists, psychologists, and theologians alike. At its heart lies the fundamental question: how did subjective experience emerge within the physical universe? This paper delves into this perennial issue, examining two primary perspectives - naturalism and supernaturalism - that vie to provide an account for consciousness.

The naturalistic perspective posits that all phenomena, including human consciousness, can be explained through purely physical processes. Advocates of this view argue that advances in neuroscience have begun to elucidate the brain mechanisms underlying conscious experience. On the other hand, supernaturalists assert that some aspects of reality are beyond the scope of scientific inquiry and require a spiritual or divine explanation.

Our exploration begins by presenting both perspectives, then critically assessing their respective strengths and weaknesses. We will engage with prominent atheist thinkers such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Bertrand Russell. Ultimately, we aim to determine whether one perspective offers a more convincing account for the origin of human consciousness than the other.

Literature Review

Naturalism: Consciousness Arising from Physical Processes

Emergent Properties in Complex Systems

Naturalists often invoke the concept of emergence to explain how consciousness arises from physical processes. Emergence refers to the phenomenon whereby complex systems give rise to properties that are not predictable or reducible to their individual components (Bedau & Humphreys, 2008). A common example is water: while its molecular structure comprises hydrogen and oxygen atoms, it exhibits unique characteristics such as fluidity and surface tension that cannot be deduced from atomic interactions alone.

Proponents of emergentism argue that consciousness may similarly emerge from intricate neural networks within the brain (Tononi & Koch, 2015). Just as individual neurons exhibit relatively simple behavior, their collective activity could generate novel properties associated with conscious experience. This idea finds support in integrated information theory (IIT), which posits that the quantity and quality of consciousness depend on the level of integration between different parts of a system (Oizumi et al., 2014). According to IIT, high levels of integration - indicative of complex interactions among brain regions - yield rich conscious states.

The Hard Problem of Consciousness

Despite the promise of emergentism and related theories, critics contend that they do not fully address the so-called “hard problem” of consciousness (Chalmers, 1995). Proposed by philosopher David Chalmers, this challenge concerns why physical processes give rise to subjective experience at all. Why should certain neuronal configurations result in feelings or perceptions, rather than merely functioning as sophisticated input-output systems?

Some naturalists attempt to sidestep the hard problem by adopting an eliminativist stance toward qualia - the intrinsic, ineffable aspects of conscious states (Churchland, 1981). Eliminative materialists argue that our intuitive understanding of mental phenomena is fundamentally flawed and should be discarded as outdated. However, this position has been met with skepticism, as it appears to dismiss millennia of human introspection and lived experience.

Supernaturalism: Consciousness as a Divine or Spiritual Gift

The Soul Hypothesis

One prominent supernaturalist perspective maintains that consciousness is an inherent attribute of the soul - a non-physical entity created by God. This view posits that while the brain may serve as the seat of cognitive function, it does not generate subjective experience on its own (Swinburne, 2016). Instead, conscious awareness arises from the interaction between the soul and the physical world.

Advocates for this position argue that it better accounts for the seemingly inexplicable aspects of human consciousness. They contend that only a divine being could imbue humans with qualia - those elusive, subjective features of experience that elude naturalistic explanation (Plantinga, 2011).

Panpsychism and the Extended Mind

Another supernaturalist perspective suggests that consciousness pervades all levels of reality, from subatomic particles to galaxies. This view is known as panpsychism and posits that fundamental units of nature possess basic forms of consciousness or proto-consciousness (Seager, 2016). In this framework, human consciousness emerges through the aggregation of these simpler entities.

Some proponents of panpsychism further argue for an extended mind hypothesis - the idea that mental processes extend beyond the confines of our brains and into the external world (Clark & Chalmers, 1998). According to this view, elements such as language, culture, and technology play crucial roles in shaping conscious experience. The supernaturalist twist on this perspective is that these external factors may be imbued with spiritual significance or divine influence.

Discussion

Strengths of Naturalism

Naturalistic explanations for the origin of human consciousness benefit from their grounding in empirical research. Neuroscientific investigations have provided invaluable insights into brain mechanisms underlying various cognitive functions and states of awareness (Crick & Koch, 1998). Furthermore, naturalists can appeal to Occam’s razor - the principle that simpler explanations are generally preferable over more complex ones. By attributing consciousness to physical processes within the brain, they avoid introducing unnecessary metaphysical entities such as souls or divine creators.

Weaknesses of Naturalism

Critics argue that naturalistic accounts fail to adequately address the hard problem of consciousness (Blackmore, 2014). Emergentist theories may explain how complex systems give rise to novel properties but ultimately fall short in explaining why certain configurations yield subjective experience. Eliminativism’s dismissal of qualia strikes many as overly reductionist and dismissive of human subjectivity.

Strengths of Supernaturalism

Supernaturalist perspectives offer potential explanations for aspects of consciousness that elude naturalistic inquiry. By invoking spiritual entities or divine intervention, they can account for the seemingly inexplicable features of conscious experience - such as qualia - which have proven resistant to reductionist analysis.

Moreover, supernaturalists argue that their perspective aligns with many individuals’ subjective sense of themselves as possessing a soul or spirit distinct from their physical bodies. This intuitive belief in a non-material aspect of human identity resonates with religious traditions worldwide and offers solace to those grappling with existential questions surrounding death and the afterlife (Spilka et al., 2018).

Weaknesses of Supernaturalism

The primary drawback of supernaturalist accounts is their reliance on metaphysical claims that lie beyond empirical verification. Assertions about souls, divine creators, or panpsychic entities cannot be tested using scientific methods, rendering them vulnerable to charges of unfalsifiability (Carrier, 2018). Furthermore, these perspectives often struggle to provide clear causal mechanisms linking spiritual phenomena with observable features of conscious experience.

Conclusion

The debate between naturalism and supernaturalism in accounting for the origin of human consciousness remains unresolved. While each perspective offers unique insights and explanatory power, neither can fully capture the intricacies of subjective experience. Naturalistic approaches have made significant strides in elucidating neural correlates of consciousness but struggle to address the hard problem or account for qualia convincingly.

Conversely, supernaturalist perspectives provide intuitive appeal by invoking spiritual entities or divine intervention; however, they lack empirical support and suffer from difficulties in specifying causal mechanisms. Ultimately, our understanding of human consciousness may require a more nuanced synthesis of these disparate viewpoints - one that acknowledges the complex interplay between physical processes and metaphysical mysteries at the heart of human existence.

References

• Bedau, M. A., & Humphreys, P. (Eds.). (2008). Emergence: Contemporary readings in philosophy and science. MIT Press.
• Blackmore, S. J. (2014). The mystery of consciousness. In Consciousness: Advances in research and practice (pp. 3-25). Springer.
• Carrier, R. (2018). Why I am not a Christian: Four Decades of Essays on Religion, Christianity, and Mythicism. Open Humanities Press.
• Chalmers, D. J. (1995). Facing up to the problem of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2(3), 200-219.
• Churchland, P. M. (1981). Eliminative materialism and the propositional attitudes. The Journal of Philosophy, 78(2), 67-90.
• Clark, A., & Chalmers, D. J. (1998). The extended mind. Analysis, 58(1), 7-19.
• Crick, F., & Koch, C. (1998). Consciousness and neuroscience. Cerebral Cortex, 8(2), 97-107.
• Oizumi, M., Albantakis, L., & Tononi, G. (2014). From the phenomenology to the mechanisms of consciousness: integrated information theory 3.0. PLoS Comput Biol, 10(5), e1003588.
• Plantinga, A. (2011). Where the conflict really lies: Science, religion, and naturalism. Oxford University Press.
• Seager, W. (2016). Consciousness as a natural kind. Philosophical Issues, 26(1), 328-354.
• Spilka, B., Hood, R. W., Hunsberger, B., & Altemeyer, B. (2018). The psychology of religious scepticism and certainty. Routledge.
• Swinburne, R. (2016). The coherence of theism. Oxford University Press.
• Tononi, G., & Koch, C. (2015). Consciousness: Here, there but not everywhere. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1668), 20140167.

Keywords

Human consciousness; Naturalism; Supernaturalism; Emergent properties; Complex systems; The hard problem; Souls; Divine intervention; Panpsychism; Extended mind hypothesis.