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to brain states.

Some so-called "experts" claim that the soul is "energy," which leaves the body after death, citing the well-known claim that "energy can not be stopped, only transformed." If this "energy" explains the soul, it would mean that the soul is physical, not supernatural, and thus measurable - and although scientists have tried, such a soul has never been measured.

It may seem like a jump, though, to claim that the existence of an eternal soul, which survives death, simply doesn't exist. Why not be a total agnostic - why not say, "I don't know what happens after death," and leave it at that?

Total agnosticism is not the best approach because of the way we gain knowledge from evidence. We don't usually say that anything we can imagine might exist, and thus take a totally agnostic position about dragons, unicorns, and flying spaghetti monsters. We realize these things are made-up, and while technically, there's a very small chance they may exist, we don't say "I don't know."

If every bit of evidence for life after death can be shown to be inconclusive, and if everyone who claims to have first-hand experience of the afterlife or of contact with the "other side," can be shown to likely be spinning fictional tales or deluded, why say "I don't know"?

We should instead say, "All evidence of any familiar concept of the soul existing, fails to support its claims, and so the soul does not exist."

The mind-body problem is not solved by positing the soul as a solution. The idea of the soul, and using it to explain the sense of "self" which we all experience, merely complicates the issue by claiming a non-answer to be an answer. Magical solutions are not explanatory. Rather, they exemplify a submission to ignorance.

We know we should treat the soul as something fabricated. But why IS it dangerous to believe in something fabricated? Why not believe a lie?

Believing lies opens a person up to being tricked and taken advantage of, not only by "psychics" and other independant charlatans, but by religious leaders. Believing there's a soul often comes coupled with belief in god, and thus in heaven and hell. If you're "good," you go to heaven when you die. If you're "bad," you go to hell. The power to act as the voice of god can be used to punish, to control, to inspire, to abuse, and to take money.

Keep in mind that all the rules are made-up, which means someone had to make them up. That someone has a level of control over every single person who believes the lies he fabricates

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