Before approaching the broader subject of suffering it is necessary to explore who we are; as a human being.

Are we just a body? Monistic Theory

Some (physicists and brain scientists) would say that we are just a body with a brain that we are a complicated animal. They explain everything from the perspective of the brain’s activity. The brain after all is responsible for things like speech, personality, emotions, intellectual ability and even the will. All of these have been shown to be affected by severe brain injury. Many people have found that though their friend survived a car crash it seems as though they have been so altered that it’s as though they are a completely different person. They perhaps speak differently or not at all, their personality is different, they seem to have unexplained mood changes and perhaps they are intellectually less competent (Blame it on the Brain: pages 28-31). By suggesting that we are only a physical being, controlled entirely by the brain, it means that we have no soul or spirit.

The problem of identity

If then we are only a body, a physical being, where does our sense of self awareness reside. “For example, we talk about an arm or a foot as ‘my arm’ and ‘my foot, as if they were our possessions. Somehow, our physical being doesn’t fully define me. Instead, it belongs to me (Page 34).” You can’t locate the “I” in the brain. Surgeons have been able to electronically stimulate the brain of alert patients eliciting body movements, emotions and memories. But in such cases patients have always distinguished these actions from “me.” “Patients have said, after a surgeon’s electrode revives forgotten memories or provokes sudden movements, “I didn’t do that. You did. I didn’t make that sound. You pulled it out to me.” It seems then that the “I” has evaded physical location (page 34).”

The problem of value

While in recent times it has become more popular to think of people in terms of how they contribute to society, it has not always been the case. For most of history people have retained a sanctity for life, the frail are cared for, the dieing are comforted. Many people seem to grow inwardly even though their body might be racked with suffering. This suggests that there is more to human beings than just our bodies. Otherwise how do those who suffer physical pain retain their sense of humour and a positive outlook?

To be continued