Apologetics
Consciousness and Existence
What came first: the chicken or the egg? Your answer to this may very well depend on the set of assumptions you bring to the table. It's hard to imagine that an egg could appear without the chicken to hatch it. Likewise, how do you conceive of the chicken without the egg from which it would normally arise? Yet, both of them are there; and something had to come first.
This same basic problem is put over into more philosophical terms. What came first: consciousness or existence? Theists believe that consciousness precedes existence, right? Well, let's see. I thought it would be worth elaborating on a discussion post concerning this problem. The querist wrote the following:
"One topic that you fail to address in your defense of theism is the debate over the primacy of consciousness or of existence. Let me explain:Theism holds the belief that consciousness holds primacy over existence-- Consciousness must have come before existence, because a consciousness (God) created existence. But how can consciousness be primary over existence if it needs to exist in order to create? Even if you do believe in God you must admit that the only starting point we can begin from is this: existence exists. How can one begin anywhere else?"
My response to this was as follows:
"Logically, I don't necessarily think that it is one or the other. In other words, consciousness is part of irreducible existence. It would be forcing a false dilemma to argue that we must choose one over the other, if indeed one is inherent in the other. The belief Theism holds is that there is something that has existed eternally, and this 'something' is eternally conscious. Yes, existence exists, but what exactly is this 'existence'? Is it conscious or unconconcious? To bring it down to more practical terms, is the eternal, irreducible existence mind or matter? If atheism is true, then the eternal existence cannot be mind, which means that matter is really all that is left. But there is no scientific proof of eternal matter, so the belief is not grounded in science. This makes what any of us believes about eternal existence a matter that we accept as an assumption based upon faith. Theists choose to assume that 'mind' better explains both eternal existence, and the present existence of sentient, thinking, reasoning beings. This is where we begin."
What I'm saying is that this is really not the same at all as the chicken and egg problem. Consciousness and existence are co-existent. Now here are the options:
1. Something has always existed, or
2. There has not always been existence.
Now which of these is most reasonable to believe? I submit that "something has always existed" is the only viable, reasonable possibility. The only other option would be to accept the conclusion that something came from absolutely nothing, which is both logically and empirically untenable. But if something has always existed, then what is this "something"?
Is it matter? I know of no empirical data that would support this concept. It can only be assumed. Those who deny the existence of God have their own problems when it comes to eternal existence, for either they will have to affirm the eternal existence of matter, or they will have to ignore the issue.
In simple terms, the other option would be "mind." That is, it is not matter that is self-existent and eternal, but it is a consciousness that cannot be viewed by the human eye. What this would mean is that existence and consciousness go hand in hand. It is not one or the other, but the eternally existent is also eternally conscious. If there were no consciousness, there would be no existence. If there were no existence, there would be no consciousness.
So this is not a problem for the theist at all. Instead, it is a problem for the atheist, for he/she must explain how consciousness arose from unthinking matter, which itself needs to be explained as to eternal existence. Neither can be adequately explained by the non-theistic worldview.
Existence exists, wrote the querist. Yes, it does. And so does consciousness. The existence of consciousness is, I believe, a powerful evidence for the existence of an eternally conscious Being, One whose existence is not dependent on anything material. I choose to believe that consciousness is not the result of brute, natural forces working through billions of mutations, but rather it is the result of a Creator who is Himself conscious and eternal.
Doy Moyer
July 2000