A Lesson From My Dog

I don't know that God exists. There are good arguments to the end that God exists, and they are rational but not compelling. A rational person can be moved by them, or not. There are good arguments to the end that God does not exist. They are rational but not compelling. A rational person can be moved by them, or not. You can stack up a good case on both sides, but in the end, the individual is stuck making a choice. You have to choose to believe and love God or not. Nobody can make this choice for you. Nor do I believe God will punish those who make the wrong choice. But that isn't to say the choice isn't important.

A similar situation can be found in the arguments regarding mind. What is mind? What is consciousness? There are nearly as many answers and arguments about this as their are philosophers. If you read the history, you'll see a never-ending debate with no end in sight. Every side makes a good case, most are rational, but none are absolutely compelling. Like the situation with God, a person is stuck making a choice. You have to decide what you think the mind is, and how it is we have conscious experience.

The consequences of this choice can be massive. Some theories of consciousness, for instance, exclude animals as having consciousness, on various grounds. The arguments to this end are good and strong, though they are open to debate, as the entire field of philosophy of mind is. From these points of view, animals may pretend to feel pain, but they really don't. These are reactions of neuron complexes, and not the reactions of a feeling being. Phenomenal consciousness is reserved for people alone. I don't believe this, but I wouldn't want to debate some of the people who do.

Think about the consequences of this for things like animal rights or animal cruelty laws. I love my dog. I believe my dog, in some way, feels love for me. I have a relationship with my dog, and my relationship with my dog is important, to me. Yet I know cognitively that I am in a very real sense CHOOSING to believe my dog's apparent feelings are genuine signs of real feelings. The consequences of this choice are huge for me, for my relationship with my dog, and for my dog (but only if I'm right, there is no consequence for my dog if i am wrong.) Yet I do believe my dog feels, and I believe this strongly. But I know enough to know I don't KNOW he feels, you know?

The same thing is roughly true with God. I have a deep and powerful relationship with God. Deeper than any I know. I talk to God, and He talks to me. But I know enough to know that I may be just crazy, and that my experiences may not be real. It appears that God is real, and that my relationship is genuine, but I do not know it, as I don't know the truth about the appearance of my dog's feelings. The consequence of  not believing would be huge for me, and (if God is real) for God. Believing may be stronger than knowing. But it is not simply the same thing.