This next chat session will be held on Friday, June 24th at 11:00pm Central Standard Time (CST) also known as (GMT-6). You can use the
timezone converter to convert to your local time. Once there, enter the day and time as specified above, then select
US/Central in the
"From Time Zone" column and your own location in the
"To Time Zone" column, then click
Convert. Be sure and unclick the
"Use Current Date/Time" option. This will give you the time of the chat meeting in your own local time.
Some other areas:
Texas, U.S. - Friday, 11:00pm
California, U.S. - Friday, 9:00pm
Singapore - Saturday, 12:00pm
London - Saturday, 5:00am
Madrid, Spain - Saturday, 6:00am
India - Saturday, 9:30pm
Melbourne, Australia - Saturday, 2:00pm
New Zealand - Saturday, 4:00pm
Sweden - Saturday, 6:00am
Canada, Yukon- Friday, 9:00pm
This will be our seventh official ToeQuest chat meeting. Chat meetings are usually scheduled bi-weekly using alternating times: Fri-11pm, Sat-3pm, Sun-7am (Central Standard Time). Since our community has 549 members from
70 countries, I use this schedule to reach the widest audience possible.
This chat session is a little different from previous chats but will explore a fascinating phenomenon for many. The topic for this chat session is...
Ghost in the Machine
Of course, the ghost is the soul, our consciousness, our very being or essence.
A On the one hand is the belief, a doctrine known as dualism, that states that there is a non-material essence that inhabits and animates our bodies and is the source of consciousness, free will, thought, ideas, emotions, etc. Many religions believe that we have a soul that survives the physical death of the body.
B On the other hand there is the doctrine of materialism, which states that the mind is not separate from the brain, but that it arises from and is produced by neural activity within the brain. Or, in other words, the mind is what the brain does.
This is signficant to a Theory of Everything, because a Theory of Everything should explain the world we live in, including any non-material aspect of reality. If there is a non-physical soul, this must be included in the explanation a Theory of Everything provides.
As this is central to many religions, this is potentially a contentious topic. I'd like to remind all to be respectful and polite, non-emotional, and go at this with a scientific mind. Members who show disrespect or engage in name calling will be banned from the chat. Members who use this as an opportunity to preach will be banned from the chat.
Please add your pre-chat comments to this thread. If you have any topics you would like to discuss, you might post it here ahead of time. email going out soon.
Regards,
--Robert