Question

A friend remembers a quote that argues for the existence of the soul that is similar to I cannot believe that the difference between man and a watch lies in complexity alone. We interpret this as saying there isn't a gradient from inanimate to animate that is based on complexity, thus we interpret it as an argument for a soul.

Googling alone comes up with nothing. Hobbes in the Leviathan compares humans to watches (saying they are similar). This made me think of Locke, who did believe in the soul. I also thought maybe it is a response to La Mettrie's L’Homme-machine, but I can't find anything obvious.

Note, the idea embedded in the quote does not seem obviously related to Paley's watchmaker's analogy since it is about a soul rather than God.

Anyone have an idea?

Answer 1

Historical and philosophical concepts suggest that the difference between humans and inanimate objects may be due to a non-physical aspect, such as the soul. Leibniz's psychophysical parallelism and Paley's teleological argument are but two examples in the rich debate about the nature of the soul and its relationship with the body, juxtaposed against materialist perspectives.

Step-by-step explanation:

The debate on the existence of the soul and its distinction from purely physical entities or bodies is a deeply philosophical one, echoing through centuries of thought from different perspectives. Notably, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz presented the concept of psychophysical parallelism, suggesting a pre-established harmony between the soul and body, likening them to two perfectly synchronized clocks. This view contends that the soul's harmony with the body is not due to material interaction but is predestined.

William Paley's teleological argument relies on an analogy that compares the intricate design of a watch to that of the universe, further suggesting that as a watch implies a watchmaker, so too does the universe imply the existence of a divine creator. However, this is centered around the existence of God rather than directly supporting the notion of a soul.

Contemplating the difference between humans and machines or watches, some argue that the complexity of human experience and consciousness cannot solely be attributed to physical processes, proposing a non-physical aspect, such as the soul. This contrasts with the materialist view that humans are simply complex biological machines.