The Emotional World: A Logical Proof of Spiritual Reality

This proof of spiritual reality in the world is rarely heard, yet once understood, it becomes clear that nature is but a shell housing a deeper spiritual presence within matter. It offers a logical proof of a fundamental spiritual nature in our world, reflected in humans and all living creatures.

1. Let's start with the scientific fact that the material world operates on causality rather than desire or will.

A rock falling from a mountain doesn't "wish" to fall, and gravity doesn't "desire" to pull it down. If you stop a rock from falling, it doesn't feel relieved, nor does gravity feel anger or sadness at being thwarted. In the material world, there are only laws, causes, and effects, devoid of will or emotions.

2. A computer is a material machine operating on cause and effect without emotion or desire. For instance, a calculator is an input-output machine without a will to answer our arithmetic questions. It doesn't get angry or sad when it encounters an error, such as dividing by zero; this merely follows causal commands, without any feeling or will. Although a computer is more complex than a falling rock, fundamentally, it's no different. Even the most sophisticated material things ultimately work by causality without will or emotion.

The complex material of a computer is akin to a domino game, where one piece knocks over another in a long line of causes and effects, but its natural laws remain unchanged, so it has no more will than a rock.

3. Emotions and desires express a soul's traits, understood only through individual internal experience. I believe others feel because I feel, thus I'm aware of their emotions. It's impossible to explain feelings to an emotionless being, for instance, explaining sadness or happiness to a robot.

In other words, emotions shouldn't exist in nature because nature acts without desire; it simply functions.

4. We, humans, know we have emotions and can identify basic animal desires and feelings (though they can't choose between good and evil).

Thus, the existence of emotions indicates a spiritual reality that operates beyond the will-less bounds of nature.

Judaism terms this reality as "nefesh," "ruach," and "neshama." Our sages explain that plants possess a minimal life force, animals have a mindful soul, while humans combine this with spirit and soul enabling them to feel higher emotions and connect with spirituality and holiness. Philosophers call these 'ideals' and 'ethics,' merely scratching the surface of creation's purpose.

5. If the world were only natural, lacking spirituality, all animals and humans would operate like emotionless robots. Here's why:

Nature dictates that the fundamental goal of all organisms is survival and reproduction. Therefore, all animals are equipped with instincts compelling them to act precisely as they do for survival.

An ant works tirelessly all day, marching in procession, building its nest, etc. Its brain holds built-in programming dictating its every move. Now, imagine adding emotions—if halted, it'd feel sadness and anger, or joy when allowed to continue. Would these feelings alter its survival actions? No, for regardless of its feelings, instincts dictate its actions for survival.

Thus, emotions add no survival value.

Whether a dog is programmed to bark at danger or chase a cat, it matters not if it wants to or not, feels happiness or sadness during its actions.

[To illustrate, imagine giving emotions to a calculator. It'd feel joy solving arithmetic questions and sadness or frustration when unable to answer like dividing by zero. Would it function differently with emotions? Its programming requires it to perform the same tasks, providing the same answers and calculations. So, what benefit would emotions provide? In this analogy, emotions are like animals' survival instincts. Emotions shouldn't exist within animals, for they don't aid survival!].

Thus, if nature were devoid of spirituality (soul), all animals would act like robots, mechanically, without emotions or desire. It seems emotions lead animals and humans to occasionally act irrationally, impacting their survival and reproduction, offering the strongest evidence of a supernatural force within the material world.

6. Atheists might dismiss spirituality in creation by saying, "Emotions are a natural part of the material world because we observe them in animals."

This flawed argument falls into a logical fallacy of begging the question ("first shooting the arrow, then drawing the target around it").

When seriously questioning "Does spirituality exist in the world?", we must objectively evaluate all possibilities, including both spiritual and solely material existence. We need definitions for these scenarios, then see which aligns with reality. But claiming emotions and desires are material presupposes all is material, thus preventing a fair inquiry into the truth.

If atheists "decide" everything is material, even encountering purely spiritual phenomena, they'd forcibly interpret them materially because they've presupposed the outcome... much like searching for a lost coin under a streetlamp just because there's light there.   

Such a stance merely closes one's eyes to a rational examination of reality.

Only by objectively investigating the workings of matter (the law of causality) and defining its abilities and natural limitations do we discover that emotions shouldn't inherently exist within matter.

Therefore, the existence of emotions, desires (and notably human consciousness), proves a spiritual realm in the world.

This reality, clearly pointing to its Creator, shows a divine force connecting two separate realms in creation, endowing animals with life and breathing a spiritual soul into humans.