my opinion on this. (this is very difficult for me to explain, but i hope you get the idea.)
in evolution, simple single-celled-organisms have evolved into more and more complex creatures. the simple organisms reacted in very simple ways to their surroundings ie move towards light etc.. if you think about it, humans too are reactionary. everything we do is dependent on our genes, past experiences and external stimuli. there is no real unpredictability in how we behave, even our moods can be altered with simple chemicals (hormones). if you were able to make a thorough enough simulation and include all the factors involved, you could essentially predict with 100% accuracy what a human is going to do next in any set of circumstances.
so then, we have no 'souls' or free will, nothing makes humans (or any other animals) special or different fundamentally from an amoeba. we are essentially machines (complex organic based ones). our thought processes, feelings, memories are all stored in the brain, and when our bodies die, so do 'we'. nothing that makes us unique is transferred anywhere, so there can't be an afterlife.
if we succeed in creating artificial life (no doubt we will one day), we will have proven that we are nothing more than machines ourselves. how absurd would it sound if these machines then started going on about having souls, heaven, reincarnation, god etc...
AdamW said:
Is there a god? I really don't know... there isn't conclusive proof either way!
the problem here is you would never be able to prove/disprove the existence of god. everything we know about our surroundings is through our senses. if someone suggested that you were part of a sophisticated truman show, you wouldn't be able to disprove it. if someone suggested that we are all being held as part of 'the matrix', or that we were computer programs running in a simulation (as in the film "the 13th floor"), you wouldn't be able to disprove it. you may laugh at someone for suggesting any of those 3 possibilities, and regard them as ridiculous, however they are just as likely as the existence of a god.
if we use occam's razor, it is then the simplest explanation ie no god that would be most likely. if any external being contributed toward life on earth, it wouldn't be a god but an alien (rather like that star trek next generation episode with the progenitors i think they're called). and this is the only type of 'god' that i think may exist. only scientific progress will help further knowledge of our origins.
if people want to believe in god or religion, then im fine with that, good on them. there are downsides however - religion has often restricted scientific progress (eg galileo), caused human suffering, and in one case (ie islam) can be extremely destructive on everything that society has learnt and progressed on. on the upside, religion has helped humans evolve socially, has helped interesting cultures and customs to develop, and also helps humans get around the very depressing subject of life and death.
