Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel: “Life is a spiritual glue that ensures unity”

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, who participated as a speaker from the University of Nevada, USA, in the “International Post-Materialist and Holistic Science Conference” hosted by Uskudar University, drew attention with his presentation titled “Life and the Qualities of Life in Light of Observations”. Emphasizing that life cannot be reduced to matter, Çengel described life as an entity with a purpose and far more advanced than matter. He added that life, which he called beyond time and space, is a spiritual glue that ensures unity.  

Uskudar University Board of Trustees Member, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel from the University of Nevada, USA, participated online in the “International Post-Materialist and Holistic Science Conference” organized in cooperation with Uskudar University’s Risale-i Nur Research Platform and Conscience of the Age Student Club, on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi's passing, and gave a presentation titled “Life and the Qualities of Life in Light of Observations”.

Life is a living entity in motion…

Stating that life is a constantly moving, living concept, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “What is this thing called life? The simplest way to see is to look at the dead and the living. The dead are completely subject to the laws of physics; if the wind blows, they move a little; if it rains, they get wet; if lightning strikes, they break into pieces, etc. In other words, they can do nothing else. When you speak of life, you see this mass, this matter, doing such strange things. This cannot be explained by the laws and forces of physics. So, what are the differences between a dead fish and a live fish? With the forces of physical laws, you can predict what the dead fish will do. It will go with the current, hit a rock if there is one, and its direction will change like this… There is nothing coming from within. Consider a live fish; you can never predict what it will do using physical laws and forces; it can go against the current, go left or right if it feels like it, stop—it does many things.”

That whose movements are determined by the rules of physics is inanimate

Stating that living beings are subject to completely different rules and laws, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “Life itself seems to come with a new set of laws, rules, and principles. If the movements of something can be determined by the rules and laws of physics, then that thing is inanimate. If they cannot be determined, then that thing is alive. In other words, how a living being will move is unpredictable.”

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, “Life does not come from matter. Life cannot be reduced to matter, and life dominates matter, so let's move past the discussion of whether it exists or not. Life exists and is a higher-level entity because it governs the realm of matter. Whatever life dictates, happens; reason and logic already require this.  Life is subjective, meaning it is not objective as I mentioned, it is not something made of matter and energy, and what is it similar to? For example, consciousness, will, beauty, knowledge, meaning, etc. We know the existence of all these, we talk about them, we discuss them. Life is like these, but life exists far, far beyond them and is subjective.”

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, stating that “Life is active, it is an entity far more advanced even than matter,” said, “To say 'non-existent' to subjective, non-physical things is not consistent with our experiences. Most importantly, life is an agent, what we call 'agency'; it does things. This is not a normal material thing, and I think this is the most important characteristic of life. So much so that this thing we call life gives commands, assigns tasks, ensures cooperation, and facilitates communication. It is non-material, something from above… Matter cannot do these things; no matter can command another matter. Sometimes we say about the brain, 'The brain commands this organ!' Well, there's no such thing; the brain cannot give commands. Whatever is in water, whatever is in soil, whatever is in meat, is also in the brain. There isn't a world where one part or all of a piece of meat tells another piece of meat, 'You do this, my dear, you come here, come on, you carry these now.'”

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, stating that “Materialism is not a realistic model of existence, it even grins [implies it's obviously flawed],” said, “People's minds and reasoning have developed. What emerges as logical here? Through the brain, because we can see the changes there. There is a physical thing that does all these; that thing is life. And this is that non-physical thing we know as the soul. No other explanation is consistent with observations and physics because matter cannot command matter.”

Life has a purpose

Noting that life has a purpose, meaning things are not random, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “For example, you look at a pancreas, what does a cell there do? Its entire purpose is to produce insulin hormone. For example, a cell contains trillions of atoms and molecules, and they work as one. Imagine, it rained, lightning struck in the sky, and then a factory suddenly appeared. There is no such world; such a thing cannot be possible. Whether you wait for 1 billion years or 50 billion years, it is still not possible; these are not things that can be explained by reason and logic in any way. It is clear that there is a purpose in life; this is true for everything. The leaf you see is actually a chemical factory; what does it do? It converts oxygen from the air, energy from the sun, and then carbon dioxide and water into energy. We, as the intelligent engineers of the world, are trying to do this. We have done some things, but we still cannot compete with it; we still haven't managed. For example, making gasoline from the sun costs us quite a lot.”

Life does not qualify matter, it governs it

Stating that life dominates matter, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “One characteristic of life is that it has priority, it has superiority, meaning the essential existence is life. Matter and energy are second-level existences because life governs matter. Thus, it is an existence at a higher level than matter. Otherwise, life would be a characteristic, and many people see life as a characteristic, which it is not. For example, a person’s skin color is black or white; this is a characteristic, but it qualifies the person. Life does not qualify matter; life governs matter. It controls it completely. This life, which we do not see, do not know, and call a ‘secret,’ turns and shapes it as it wishes.”

Life is a natural thing

Stating that another characteristic of life is naturalness, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “Life is a natural thing. That is, it is not man-made. We do many things, but we cannot create life. Life is not bound by causes; for example, we make water. Bring hydrogen and oxygen together, and water will form. There is no such thing for life. There is nothing called life, and if we try to create a living thing, we must start with a different living thing. You can change genes, and some of its properties will change, but if you say you will make DNA from new, different properties, you can do it, there is no problem with that. Put the materials in a bowl, and what will happen then? Nothing will happen; they will just sit together. Like ingredients in a soup… Then you look at a natural cell that is not man-made, and there is an amazing chemical factory. You look at an artificial cell, and it is just a lump of matter; everything is there, but there is no movement, nothing—it is dead… This shows us how magnificent life is and what a high-level entity it is.” 

Noting that another characteristic of life is that it is a field phenomenon, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “Water is inanimate, but when it enters a living body, that water becomes part of all life functions inside and behaves like a living thing, but when it leaves us through sweat, it becomes inanimate again. It is clear that in the realm where life governs, along with the forces of physical law, there are brand new laws and principles represented by life, and it is subject to them. When it leaves that realm, it somehow returns to its old state.” 

Life is beyond time and space

Noting that there is no answer to the question of where life is, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “Life is not a physical thing; life is beyond time and space. What does this mean? Life cannot be destroyed. It is a local phenomenon, outside boundaries, affecting locally. For example, my life is limited to my skin; beyond my skin, it has no effect. The laws of physics are valid throughout the universe, and there is no such thing as living matter. It is clear that such things come from outside. They come from outside but temporarily reflect inside, as if life penetrates in some way. Life is simple; you cannot break it down; it is not made of atoms, molecules, etc. Life provides unity, meaning it makes many things one. When life leaves, that thing already begins to fall apart. For example, I am currently a unit, everything in me works in unity, but when I die, everything in my body begins to disintegrate. Life is a spiritual glue that ensures unity.”