“JUST” is a powerful word
In the mind-body debate, you will often hear people say that we can’t be just a bunch of neurons and chemicals. They find it difficult to see how we can be conscious, feeling organisms and just brains and bodies – a sack of bones, tissues, blood cells and DNA.
Or in the debate about evolution, people often say we are not just animals. We can’t possibly have evolved from little one-celled organisms, and we don’t look anything like elephants. We’re not just instinctual beasts.
A big part of the problem is this idea of "just". This little word evidences a powerful sentiment. It shows that we are trying to reduce something into something else, and we are having none of it! We refuse to believe that our lives can be reduced to the lives of animals, or our bodies and minds can be reduced to chemicals or meat and bones.
When used in this way, just means that we are not able to see how the thing that follows it can explain the mighty complexity that we observe. Just chemicals cannot explain the magic of the human experience. Just animals cannot explain the intricacy of human civilization and culture. This is not necessarily because we doubt that chemicals can produce tremendous complexity. No. More generally, it is because we fear making an explanation on these subjects of any kind whatsoever.
Or in the debate about evolution, people often say we are not just animals. We can’t possibly have evolved from little one-celled organisms, and we don’t look anything like elephants. We’re not just instinctual beasts.
A big part of the problem is this idea of "just". This little word evidences a powerful sentiment. It shows that we are trying to reduce something into something else, and we are having none of it! We refuse to believe that our lives can be reduced to the lives of animals, or our bodies and minds can be reduced to chemicals or meat and bones.
When used in this way, just means that we are not able to see how the thing that follows it can explain the mighty complexity that we observe. Just chemicals cannot explain the magic of the human experience. Just animals cannot explain the intricacy of human civilization and culture. This is not necessarily because we doubt that chemicals can produce tremendous complexity. No. More generally, it is because we fear making an explanation on these subjects of any kind whatsoever.
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