The Paradox of Thought: A Proof of God’s Existence from the Hard Problem of Consciousness

Philosophy and Theology 29 (1):169-190 (2017)
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Abstract

This paper uses a paradox inherent in any solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness to argue for God’s existence. The paper assumes we are “thought machines”, reading the state of a relevant physical medium and then outputting corresponding thoughts. However, the existence of such a thought machine is impossible, since it needs an infinite number of point-representing sensors to map the physical world to conscious thought. This paper shows that these sensors cannot exist, and thus thought cannot come solely from our physical world. The only possible explanation is something outside, argued to be God.

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References found in this work

The Mind/Brain Identity Theory.Jjc Smart - 2007 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
The Uncertainty Principle.Jan Hilgevoord & Jos Uffink - 2012 - In Ed Zalta (ed.), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford, CA: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Zombies.Robert Kirk - 2003 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Epiphenomenalism.William Robinson - 2003 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

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