Source: https://www.davidhernandezministries.com/blogarchive/2021/7/16/body-soul-spirit-simply-explained
A dualist would believe in a soul & a body, whilst a materialist would believe that the body is made purely out of matter and that humans don't have souls. This essay will discuss if dualism makes more sense than materialism.
On one hand, dualism makes more sense as the soul gives a purpose in life. It makes people do good in the world as they aim to get to heaven after they die. Without it, there is almost no point in life as there is no ultimate goal for you to aim for, as a materialist would think, why shall I do good things, for at the end of the day, we will all die & all efforts would go to waste.
There is also proof for the soul, near-death experiences, or NDEs. This is when people are on the verge of dying and experience a detachment from the body for a split second, but don't actually die. People have recounted these stories in diaries & journals, proving that we probably have a soul.
With that said, someone might contradict the points listed above, saying that actually, a materialist would do more in life. This is because they only get one chance in life as they believe that they won't be reincarnated, so might want to experience life as full and exciting as it gets. Hence, a materialist might do more good in the world, like donating to the poor, as they want to get as much out of it as possible, so that they are able to pass away knowing that they have done as much as they possibly could.
Someone might also say that there is no hard proof that souls exist so it is pointless believing in it. This is because no one has ever come back from the dead, so we don't know for sure if our souls will go to the afterlife. This makes many people ponder if we have souls or not.
Furthermore, a materialist would argue that if we did have a soul, where would it be stored? A dualist however would say that it is stored in the heart or mind, or say that it is more of a mental concept, rather than a physical attribute.
Overall, I think dualism makes more sense than materialism because although there isn't really proof that we definitely have souls, it makes more sense to believe in it so that we can have an ultimate purpose in life to do more good in the world & help more people.
Comments