Our sense organs 45

aspect – the mind, which, according to Eccles,
includes the I, the self, the psyche, and the will.
Both components are interconnected via the
external sense (experiences of which we are made
conscious through our sense organs) as well as by
means of the inner sense (thoughts, feelings,
memories, dreams, imaginings, and intentions).
It is not hard to draw some straightforward scientific
conclusions from this. The dualistic view
of man, equipped with this complex organ, the
brain, is graphically illustrated in Figure 5, which
indicates both the material and nonmaterial
components. It is obvious from this representation
that knowledge, strategies, thoughts and
purposes cannot have a material origin.
At this point, we have reached the limits of scientific
research, because questions of man’s origin,
and destiny after death, cannot be resolved
by this model. But Eccles did have some inkling
of the truth when he wrote: “The components of
our existence in World 2 are not of a material
nature and are thus not necessarily subject to the
dissolution that destroys all the World 1 components
of an individual at the moment of death”
(from: Eccles, Zeier: Gehirn und Geist [Mind and
Brain], München 1980, p 190).
To know more about how man is really made up,
we need to ask Him Who made human beings.
For this purpose we consult the Bible, where this
important question is answered on the very first
page. God is the ultimate First Cause. And He
created everything, as stated emphatically in
Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created...”
The purpose of this creation was human beings,
as God had planned. We read in Genesis 1:26:
“Let us make man...” If, like me, you have an engineering
frame of mind, you will particularly
appreciate God’s conceptual framework for the
various stages of man’s creation:
1. Plan
2. Execution
3. Result
These steps are illustrated in Figure 7. The one
verse, Genesis 2:7, is a masterpiece of concise
96
and exact formulation which is at the same time
packed with information.
Execution: Adam was created in two phases:
In the first place God made his body from the
substance of the earth. Our bodies comprise the
same chemical elements as those found in the
ground. It was quite a sensation when it was discovered
in the 19th century that organic substances
consist of the same elements as inorganic
matter.
The second important component was added
when God “breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life”. Only after this nonmaterial spirit had
been infused into the physical body, did this new
creation become a human being. This spirit
should not be confused with the Holy Spirit. It
should also be noted that the nonmaterial part,
called mind by Eccles, is actually the soul in the
biblical sense.
Result: After the two different parts, the “earthly
body” and “the spirit breathed by God”, had been
joined, an entirely new creation came into being,
namely the soul: “and the man became a living
soul” (King James version). The result of this creative
act of God, the joining of two different
worlds, is illustrated in Figure 7. When these two
completely different components are joined, the
result of this union is the soul. The word “soul” as
used in the Bible, has two meanings. It includes
the entire human being, and it also describes one
of the three components: body, soul, and spirit
(1 Thess 5:23). This triadic combination describes
man’s total reality. We exist because God willed it
so. He planned it, and carried out His plan purposefully.
Trialism: In light of the above biblical affirmations,
it should be obvious that Eccles’ dualism,
although an improvement on monism, is still
inadequate for a complete understanding of
human beings. Because the Bible mentions three
distinct human components, we introduce the
concept of trialism (Greek tri = three) (Figure 8).
The fact that the joining of two components may
give rise to a third and new phenomenon, can be