How Identity, Logic and Physics Prove God's Existence

In terms of the meaning of life, the question of identity is a critical one. What is the basis of identity? Is it mainly extrinsic or intrinsic? Are we to understand reality and identity based on appearance alone?  How are logic, truth and identity related? The following is a brief outline of how identity, logic and physics prove God's existence, with a full outline at the end of the article:

How Identity, Logic and Physics Prove God’s Existence:

I. Formal logic presupposes certain truths theoretically exist as a basis for sound reasoning.
II. The foundation of cohesive logic appears to have been undermined by quantum physics.
III. NDE Cases support a cohesive, logical understanding within a theistic framework.
IV. Materialism has failed to provide support for answers to foundational questions while Theism has provided such support.
V, Conclusion: proof is affirmed by logic and material evidence and the preponderance of evidence supports a theistic interpretation of the universe. 

I. Formal logic requires certain elements as a basis for sound reasoning.

Since the foundation of classical philosophy was laid in Aristotle’s time, the principles of formal logic have been developed and refined. From the beginning, it was noted that universal truth and validity must be presupposed in order for formal logic to work. To this day, a formal philosophical proposition, known as a categorical syllogism, must have both true premises and a valid form in order to be considered logically acceptable. It’s possible to have false premises and a valid form and vice versa.[1 ]The following is an example of a syllogism:

Premise 1: A conventional syllogism offers proof using true premises and a valid form.
Premise 2: Certain philosophies deny true premises and valid forms can exist.
Conclusion: Certain philosophies deny that a conventional syllogism offers logical proof.


As the above syllogism shows, the conventions of formal philosophy have certain philosophical implications in and of themselves. Like today, many philosophers in Aristotle's day tried to reject the fact that consistent truth and validity are required as a basis of debate. They were called Sophists. The Sophist Protagoras stated, "Man is the measure of all things." Everything is relative and there are no values because man, individual man, is the measure of all things.“[2] We see this same opinion today widely accepted in society in various forms.

Among intellectual atheists, the laws of logic are about as popular as pork chops at a bar mitsva. Atheist Ayn Rand defined logic mainly as a subjective art: "Logic is the art or skill of non-contradictory identification."[3] Logic, however, consists mainly of objective laws and principles. I offered to debate atheists at the Debunking Christianity blog but the basic answer was "We don't do logic." Instead, they offer what is called an "Outsider Test" in an attempt to disprove God's existence. The fact is, though, their experiment is based upon the primary laws of logic. The law of identity, law of the excluded middle, and the law of non-contradiction all come into play. Any critical thinking depends on the laws of logic, even if people don't realize they are using the laws intuitively. These laws are quite easy to understand. The law of non-contradiction basically says it is not possible that something be both true and not true. The law of identity says A is A and A is not B. In other words, something is what it is and needs at least one identifying characteristic in order to differentiate it from something else.

II. The foundation of cohesive logic appears to have been undermined by quantum physics.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy testifies of how discoveries in quantum mechanics have shaken the basis of our understanding of the physical world including the nature of identity and uniqueness: "Indeed, the transition from classical to quantum physics marks a genuine revolution in our understanding of the physical world."[4] "This should not suggest that the uncertainty principle is the only aspect of the conceptual difference between classical and quantum physics: the implications of quantum mechanics for notions as (non)-locality, entanglement and identity play no less havoc with classical intuitions."[5]

The definition of Materialism according to Webster’s Dictionary states, “Materialism: a theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter.”[6]

Materialists, however, has so far failed to fulfill this definition as a theory. Precious little “can be explained” regarding the most important metaphysical questions of existence. Why is there something instead of nothing? What's the origin of matter, the universe, the origin of life, the origin of information, the origin and makeup of consciousness? Quantum mechanics has undermined the basis of materialist reasoning and logic as well. Quantum physics offers mainly metaphysical under-determinism and more questions than answers.

As you consider the following essential definition of entanglement, you can understand why QM has created a problem for many philosophers: “Quantum entanglement is a process in which two objects are linked together in such a way that any changes to the properties of one can be measured from the other regardless of the distance between them.”[7] Quantum particles remain mysteriously connected no matter how far away. This phenomenon forms the basis of new quantum Internet technology. Boundaries that were assumed to be finite and localized are not. Because of the implications, many materialist philosophers have felt the need to reject proven science in order to maintain their worldview. Take, for example,  this quote by Ayn Rand objectivist Dean Sandin:

“Quantum Mechanics holds that a particle is nowhere and everywhere throughout some extended region, until magic happens and instantaneously it’s at one place. Of course, QM doesn’t say “magic”. But rationally speaking it means magic, i.e., non-identity in various guises, whether named non-locality, backwards-in-time causality, indeterminacy, the (literal and physical) primacy of consciousness, or whatever.

“To reject QM as physically wrong is fine. It’s necessary. But it is not merely physically wrong. The deeper rot in QM is the admission of non-identity into physical reasoning. Doing physics right doesn’t merely mean getting the right answers from a mathematical formalism – not while the underlying entities can’t be non-contradictorily grasped. It also means eliminating the contradictions that prevent the clear grasp of the physical entities. And that means rediscovering identity, and admitting back into the basis of physics the real entities that QM gives up on.”[8]

Note how the "objectivist" materialist philosopher must "reject" proven science because it opposes his subjective view of reality. Sandin's view is not isolated, but represents objectivists in general, according to objectivism101.com:  "In Objectivists circles, one major application of the Law of Identity is to reject the Copenhagen model of Quantum Physics... These, and other ideas, are based on the idea that the light particles do not exist as anything until they are detected. It exists as both a particle and a wave, and yet neither. It has no specific attributes until the probability wave is collapsed. The point of all of this is that it says that something that exists doesn't exist in a particular way. The Law of Identity rejects this."[9]

Objectivists are moderate relativists who recognize the importance of logic to some degree. Atheists who desire to justify their beliefs logically must somehow come to terms with QM paradoxes and address them. Many atheists simply live in denial pretending there is no conflict. According to the objective scientific method, if your hypothesis does not line up with documented scientific facts, the correct decision is not to preemptively reject science, and not to live in denial, but to consider another hypothesis, another explanation. According to the MIT Technology Review, QM studies by scientists in Poland and around the world are identifying information as the bedrock of reality and this point is in perfect agreement with a theist view of creation: "All this work stems from the growing realization that it is not the laws of physics that determine how information behaves in our Universe, but the other way round."[10]

In Darwin’s day, scientists naively referred to the living cell as a simple cell or a simple  lump.. Now we know living cells are incredibly complex. In a similar manner, the subatomic world, as the apparent foundation of the physical world, is more mysterious than first imagined. Article “Identity and Individuality in Quantum Theory” by Stanford University has outlined present problematic metaphysical issues related to identity and under-determinism.[11]

Scientific American has outlined how the quantum world is not neatly compartmentalized and separated from our visible day-to-day environment, as philosophers and scientists had thought: “The impression that quantum mechanics is limited to the microworld permeates the public understanding of science… Yet this convenient partitioning of the world is a myth. Few modern physicists think that classical physics has equal status with quantum mechanics; it is but a useful approximation of a world that is quantum at all scales… Until the past decade, experimentalists had not confirmed that quantum behavior persists on a macroscopic scale. Today, however, they routinely do."[12] The studies mentioned in Scientific American show there is an overlap of quantum physics and classic physics in both the micro- and macro- worlds, however, quantum logic and classic, Aristotlean logic remain unreconciled for the materialist, especially since the more mysterious quantum physics forms the primary foundation of the physical world. Studies in quantum physics reveal an under-determinism of specific particles in addition to an under-determinism with regard to larger questions of how sets and systems in the physical world interrelate.

III.  NDE Cases support a cohesive, logical understanding within a theistic framework.

If quantum mechanics seems to dismantle a cohesive logical explanation of the universe, it is likely that there is a non-materialist explanation. Consider another possible explanation of identity. Research has shown that many people, including Ernest Hemingway, have had near death experiences wherein they perceived their spirits were leaving their physical bodies. Ernest Hemingway describes his experience during WWI:

"A big Austrian trench mortar bomb, of the type that used to be called ash cans, exploded in the darkness. I died then. I felt my soul or something coming right out of my body, like you'd pull a silk handkerchief out of a pocket by one corner. It flew around and then came back and went in again and I wasn't dead anymore."[13]

The Apostle Paul described a possible out-of body experience in 2 Corinthians 12. 3-4: "And I know how such a man-- whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows- was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak." 

A skeptic may argue that people who tell of visiting heaven and hell are describing mere psychological experiences, but additional research has shown that eyewitness accounts are, in fact, verifiable.  Pamela Reynolds described a NDE account wherein she realized she was observing her own body from an elevated perspective describing images she could not have seen with her taped-shut natural eyes: "The saw thing that I hated the sound of looked like an electric toothbrush and it had a dent in it, a groove at the top where the saw appeared to go into the handle, but it didn't ... And the saw had interchangeable blades, too, but these blades were in what looked like a socket wrench case ...” She also described statement made during her operation while she was under heavy anesthesia with special clicking earplugs in her ears: "Someone said something about my veins and arteries being very small. I believe it was a female voice and that it was Dr. Murray, but I'm not sure. She was the cardiologist [sic]. I remember thinking that I should have told her about that ... I remember the heart-lung machine. I didn't like the respirator ... I remember a lot of tools and instruments that I did not readily recognize.”[14] The account was documented by BBC and is free for viewing on YouTube,.[15] And part 2, where doctors describe more of the precise details, is also on YouTube[16]

Critics have stated the interview with Reynolds took place three years after the operation and is therefore invalid. However, Pam’s recollection of other details that day remained extremely detailed and vivid and a 13 year Dutch study published in the Lancet, a prestigious, peer reviewed journal, stated the following: The scientists were surprised that the NDErs recalled their experience with the same degree of detail when interviewed again several years later.”[17]

The Lancet published information on another case: "In another account, from a prospective Dutch NDE study, a nurse removed the dentures of an unconscious heart attack victim, and was identified after his recovery as the one who removed them. This surprised him, as that patient had been in a deep coma and undergoing cardie-pulmonary resuscitation at the time.”[18]

People who have been born blind who have recorded testimonies in hospitals with detailed, visual accounts of rooms, instruments, equipment and people they could not have seen with their nonworking natural eyes. Kenneth Ring has interviewed over 30 such blind people with NDE testimonies and describes the accounts in his book Mindsight: Near-death and out-of-body Experiences of the Blind.[19] A videotaped interview with Vicki Noratuk, who had been born blind but saw during her NDE, is listed on YouTube. [20] 

IV. Materialism has failed to provide support for answers to foundational questions while theism has provided such support.

Concepts of truth and validity are required as implied tandem universal certainties in order to propose a conventional philosophical argument. But absolute truth is mainly rejected by materialists because either they don't like the implications there is an absolute moral standard, or, because it seems to be an admission of a transcendent reality. They philosophically depend on implied absolute truth as a foundation for making their arguments while at the same time they mainly reject the reality of the foundation and its wider implications. Quantum physics has further highlighted the logical inconsistency of materialism. Materialists mainly use Aristotelian logic in the day-to-day world, while attempting to apply a separate logic for QM phenomena. However, there is no real clear boundary between these worlds, as referenced in the aforementioned Scientific American article.

Materialism has also failed to provide specific answers for and/or evidence regarding the origin of the universe, the origin of matter, the origin of life, the origin of information, the origin and makeup of consciousness. Many materialists had assumed that dualism had been refuted. But NDE cases and evidence have revived this debate.

Theism does provide a logical and cohesive framework and specific answers to the above questions in keeping with documented evidence and critical reasoning. In theism, the basic laws of logic, such as the law of identity, can be used as tool for comprehensively describing the physical and spiritual world because there is a deeper foundation than the quantum world as a basis for reality. This basis of identity is described in scripture. As note previously, The MIT Technology Review summarized how “ it is not the laws of physics that determine how information behaves in our Universe, but the other way round.”  Hebrew 11.3 confirms how Logic, information and the spiritual dimension form the basis of prime reality. John 1.1, 14 shows how God, as the Logos,  is the logical basis of prime reality. Colossians 1.17 shows how God is both the creator and ultimate enabler of the physical world. Also, scientific studies show that practicing unconditional forgiveness offers incredibly health benefits, likened to quitting smoking.[23]. A lifestyle of thanksgiving[24] and a lifestyle of religious worship also offer significantly increased health and happiness[25]. These facts are not logically supported by a materialist paradigm. Materialist theorists claim that both forgiveness and vengeance are natural and good moral actions. If both forgiveness and vengeance are supposedly morally natural, practical and good instincts, then why do they have opposite health effects? These combined facts underscore the truth that the identity of Christ serves as the reference point for the ideal moral life.

Full Outline: How Identity, Logic and Physics Prove God’s Existence:

I. Formal logic presupposes certain truths theoretically exist as a basis for sound reasoning.
    A. A categorical syllogism, for example, requires the existence of implied universal truth and validity.
        1. At least two laws of logic apply in all possible worlds.
             a. Law of non-contradiction: It is not possible that something be both true and not true.
             b. Law of identity: A = A. Something is what it is and has at least one identifying characteristic.

II. The foundation of cohesive logic appears to have been undermined by quantum physics.
    A. A quantum particle has ambiguous identifying characteristics until it is measured and collapsed.
    B. Quantum non-locality and entanglement imply boundaries that were assumed to be finite and localized are not.
    C. QM phenomena and influences are not neatly compartmentalized apart from the Visible day-to-day World
    D. If the physical world is truly interconnected by energy, there is only one implied physical identity.
    E. It is not the laws of physics that determine how information behaves in our Universe, but the other way around.

III. NDE Cases Support a Cohesive, Logical Understanding within a Theistic Framework.
    A. NDE patients describe situations they could not have perceived with their physical senses.
    B. Reynolds described the appearance of a unique instrument used and recalled a specific conversation.
    C. A Dutch NDE patient described aspects of an operation that occurred observed during clinical death with a cardiac arrest.
    D. People born blind have made accurate, detailed descriptions of images they could not have seen with their natural eyes.
    E. A specific identity and locality is maintained while experiencing clinical death, consistent with the law of identity.
    F. NDE accounts imply that human volition (free will) exists and operates on a spiritual level.
    G. NDE accounts imply a God with a loving nature exists. This supports the theist view over other religions.

IV. Materialism has failed to provide support for answers to foundational questions while theism has provided such support.
    A. Universal and certain truth and validity are implied as a necessary combination in making formal philosophical arguments but the possibility of absolute truth is rejected by most materialists because of the theistic implications.
    B. Studies in quantum physics offer metaphysical under-determinism while cohesive logic regarding identity remains beyond reach.
    F.  Materialism has Failed to provide minimal answers with regard to the origin of the universe, the origin of matter, the origin of life, the origin of information, the origin and makeup of consciousness.
    G. Theism does provide a logical and cohesive framework and specific answers to the above questions in keeping with related evidence.
 

V. Conclusion
     A. Proof is affirmed by logic and material evidence and the preponderance of evidence supports a theistic interpretation.
         1. The materialist view is logically inconsistent and in conflict with science and evidence implying the supernatural.
         2. The Christian view is supported by cohesive logic, science, evidence and scriptural text.
              a. Hebrew 11.3: Logic, information and the spiritual dimension form the basis of prime reality.
              b. John 1.1, 1.14: God is the logical basis of prime reality.
              c. Colossians 1.17: God is both the creator and enabler of the physical world.

References:

[1] Philosophy Pages: Categorical Syllogisms    http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/e08a.htm, Fundamentals of Logic, http://web.utk.edu/~nolt/courses/logic.html
[2] The History Guide: Greek Thought: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture8b.html
[3] Ayn Rand Lexicon: Galt’s Speech, For the New Intellectual, 125., http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/logic.html
[4] Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: The Uncertainty Principle http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-uncertainty/
[5] Ibid.
[6] Webster’s Online Dictionary, Materialism, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/materialism
[7] News.com: Australian Scientists may have Worked out the Mystery of Teleportation, http://www.news.com.au/technology/australian-scientists-may-have-worked-out-the-mystery-of-teleportation/story-e6frfro0-1225739271558#ixzz1GpW3PoWT
[8] Incinerating Presuppositionalism: In Comment posted By Dawson Bethrick October 23, 2010 http://bahnsenburner.blogspot.com/
[9] Objectivism101: Law of Identity http://objectivism101.com/Lectures/Lecture19.shtml
[10] MIT Technology Review: The Foundation of Reality: Information or Quantum Mechanics?
http://technologyreview.asia/blog/arxiv/23541/
[11] Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Identity and Individuality in Quantum Theory, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-idind/
[12] Scientific American,  Living in a Quantum World, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=living-in-a-quantum-world
[13] IANDS: 17 Near-Death Experience Accounts from "Beyond the Light"  http://iands.org/nde-stories/17-nde-accounts-from-beyond-the-light.html
[14] Testimony of Pam Reynolds,  http://www.physicspost.com/physicsforums/topic.asp-ARCHIVE=&TOPIC_ID=898.htm
[15] YouTube: BBC: PAM SEES GOD. NDE Pam Reynolds. Amazing! Full version!, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNbdUEqDB-k&feature=related
[16] YouTube: BBC: PAM SEES GOD. NDE Pam Reynolds. Amazing! 2 part, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osfIY4B3y1U&annotation_id=annotation_815715&feature=iv
[17] the Lancet , Dutch NDE Study, http://www.mikepettigrew.com/afterlife/html/dutch_study.html
[18] The Lancet, "Near-Death Experience in Survivors of Cardiac Arrest: A prospective Study in the Netherlands” http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2801%2907100-8/abstract
[19] Near Death: People Born Blind Can See During a NDE, http://www.near-death.com/experiences/evidence03.html
[20] Near Death Experience - Blind woman SEES while OUT OF BODY, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbtoX3Q5O
[21] New Testament; Romans 1.18-23
[22] Burns, Jennifer; Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right; p2
[23] Templestream, Christmas: The Beauty and Challenge of Forgiveness, http://templestream.blogspot.com/2011/12/first-global-christmas-forgiveness.html
[24] Templestream, The Health and Logic of a Thankful Lifestyle, http://templestream.blogspot.com/2011/11/health-and-logic-of-being-thankful.html
[25] Templestream, Gallup Polls Highlight Happiness, Health and Logic in Spirituality, http://templestream.blogspot.com/2010/12/gallup-polls-highlight-happiness-health.html

Article last revised January 19, 2012

Related:

The Health and Logic of a Thankful Lifestyle
Christmas: The Beauty and Challenge of Forgiveness
Gallup Polls Highlight Happiness, Health and Logic in Spirituality