The Argument from Consciousness

“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” 

Psalm 8:4

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is astonishing. It writes essays, paints images, diagnoses diseases, and even composes music. I use AI myself to brainstorm ideas, refine drafts, and check grammar. It’s an incredible servant.

But here’s the thing: AI isn’t thinking for me—it can’t. And it never will.

Why? Because AI lacks consciousness. No matter how advanced it gets, there’s no self, no awareness, no “I” behind the code. Philosopher Peter Kreeft captured this brilliantly in a conversation with a computer scientist who excitedly described AI’s increasing sophistication. Kreeft simply replied: *“But no one is there.”*¹

That’s the point. And it’s more than a curiosity—it’s a clue. The difference between intelligence and consciousness, between data processing and experiencing reality, points beyond materialism. It points to God.

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Argument #1: The Argument from Consciousness

The Argument from Consciousness contends that human awareness—our subjective experience, ability to reflect, and sense of self—cannot be explained by physical processes alone.

Syllogism 1:

1. If materialism is true, consciousness must be reducible to physical processes.
2. Consciousness exhibits features irreducible to physical processes (qualia, intentionality, self-awareness).
3. Therefore, materialism is false.
4. The best explanation for consciousness is a transcendent, conscious Creator—God.

As J.P. Moreland writes:

“Consciousness is among the most obvious realities of the universe, and yet it cannot be located on a materialist map of reality.”²

David Chalmers calls this the “hard problem of consciousness”³—why and how brain activity results in subjective experience. Neuroscience maps correlates (what happens in the brain during thought), but it doesn’t explain why it feels like something to be you.

This is not a gap in science to be filled; it’s a metaphysical chasm for materialism.

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Argument #2: The Argument from Reason

If we trust our reasoning—our ability to evaluate evidence and draw conclusions—then that reasoning must be grounded in something reliable and truth-oriented.

But under materialism, our thoughts are merely the byproduct of unguided evolutionary processes designed for survival, not truth.

Syllogism 2:

1. If human reasoning is the product of unguided, material processes, our beliefs are aimed at survival, not truth.
2. If our cognitive faculties are not aimed at truth, we have no rational basis for trusting them—including belief in materialism.
3. But we do trust our reasoning. Therefore, our reasoning must originate from a rational, truth-oriented Source.
4. This Source is best explained as a rational, conscious Creator—God.

C.S. Lewis saw this danger:

“Unless human reasoning is valid, no science can be true… but if the validity of human reasoning is in doubt, then so is everything else.”⁴

Alvin Plantinga later developed this as the Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism, showing that naturalism undercuts its own epistemic foundation.⁵ If your brain evolved only to help you dodge predators and find food, why trust it to produce metaphysical truth?

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Argument #3: The Argument from Morality

Human beings don’t just think—we judge. We believe some things are objectively right or wrong, regardless of opinion or culture.

But objective moral values and duties make little sense in a universe of only matter and energy.

Syllogism 3:

1. If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist.
2. Objective moral values and duties do exist (e.g., torturing children for fun is always wrong).
3. Therefore, God exists.

This isn’t about believing in morality—it’s about grounding it. As Peter Kreeft said:

“If there is no God, then the universe is impersonal. But if the universe is impersonal, morality is a mere illusion.”⁶

Without God, morality becomes subjective—just preferences evolved for social cohesion. Yet we live as if morality is real and binding. That sense points us back to the Moral Lawgiver.

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AI as Evidence of God: Intelligence From Intelligence

Every time you use AI, you are experiencing a system that didn’t create itself. AI didn’t spring from random electrical charges or spontaneously evolve in a server farm. It was designed. Programmed. Built by minds with intention.

This irony is striking: skeptics often use AI as an argument against God, but AI itself illustrates the principle they deny—intelligence flows from intelligence.

If a chatbot requires a team of engineers, how much more does a conscious human mind require a Designer? AI, even at its most sophisticated, only processes what its creators have enabled it to process. It has no creativity or self-awareness because its creators cannot bestow what they themselves don’t possess.

We, however, are creative, reflective, and conscious. Perhaps because we were made in the image of the ultimate Mind.

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AI and the Illusion of Thought

AI can mimic thought. It can imitate empathy. But it doesn’t know anything.

John Searle’s Chinese Room explains this perfectly. A non-Chinese speaker could manipulate Chinese symbols using a rulebook, producing outputs that seem fluent. To an outsider, it appears the person “understands” Chinese. But they don’t—they’re just following rules. AI is the same.⁷

No matter how advanced, AI isn’t aware of the rules it follows. It isn’t aware at all.

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Personal Reflection: My Use of AI

As a writer and theologian, I use AI daily—to brainstorm, organize thoughts, and refine drafts. It’s a brilliant assistant. But it isn’t thinking for me.

It can’t feel awe at the Psalms. It can’t wrestle with the problem of evil. It can’t choose between good and evil. I can. And so can you.

Why? Because we are more than neurons firing. We are souls.

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Theological Implications: The God Who Knows

Genesis says humanity is made in God’s image (imago Dei). This isn’t about intelligence alone—it’s about our capacity for relationship, reflection, and worship.

Isaiah 1:18 says:

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD.”

Reason, morality, and consciousness only make sense because the Source of all things is Reason Himself—a personal Mind.

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Final Thought

AI can simulate intelligence. It can process data, generate language, even imitate care. But as Kreeft said, “no one is there.”

You, however, are there. You are aware. You think. You love. You long for meaning and justice.

Could it be because you were made by a Mind who is Truth?

The One who made your mind calls you to know Him.

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Footnotes

¹ Peter Kreeft, Philosophy of Mind: A Beginner’s Guide (Ignatius Press, 2021), 78.
² J.P. Moreland, Consciousness and the Existence of God: A Theistic Argument (Routledge, 2008), 15.
³ David Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory (Oxford University Press, 1996), 5.
⁴ C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man (HarperOne, 2001), 33.
⁵ Alvin Plantinga, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism (Oxford University Press, 2011), 311–312.
⁶ Peter Kreeft, Handbook of Christian Apologetics (IVP Academic, 1994), 137.
⁷ John Searle, “Minds, Brains, and Programs,” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 3, no. 3 (1980): 417–457.

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