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 Üsküdar Üniversitesi, 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 a purposeful entity far more advanced than matter. He also added that life, which he called beyond time and space, is a spiritual glue that ensures unity.

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, a Member of the Board of Trustees of Üsküdar Üniversitesi and from the University of Nevada, USA, participated online in the “International Post-Materialist and Holistic Science Conference,” organized in cooperation with Üsküdar Üniversitesi Risale-i Nur Research Platform and the Conscience of the Age Student Club, on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the passing of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, and delivered 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 say life, you look at a lump, matter, and it does such strange things. This is not something that can 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 law, you can predict what it will do. Like going with the current, hitting a rock if there is one, and going in that direction… In other words, there is nothing coming from within. Consider a live fish; you can never predict what it will do with the laws and forces of physics; it can go against the current, go left or right if it feels like it, stop—it does many things.”

A thing whose movements are determined by the laws of physics is inanimate

Stating that living beings are subject to completely different sets of 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 a thing 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 debate of whether it exists or not. Life exists and is a higher-level being because it governs the realm of matter. Whatever life dictates, happens, which is what reason and logic already require. Life is subjective, as I mentioned, it is not objective, meaning it is not something composed of matter and energy, and what is it similar to? For instance, consciousness, will, beauty, knowledge, meaning, etc. We all know, discuss, and debate the existence of these. Life is like these, but life exists far, far above them and is subjective.”

Stating that “Life is active, it is an entity far more advanced than even matter,” Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “To say that subjective, meaning non-physical things, do not exist is not compatible with our experiences. Most importantly, life is an agent, what we call ‘agency,’ meaning it does things. This is not a normal material thing, and I believe this is life’s most important characteristic. So much so that this thing we call life gives orders, assigns tasks, ensures cooperation, facilitates communication. It is something non-material, from above… Matter cannot do these things; no matter can give orders to matter. We sometimes say for the brain, ‘The brain orders this organ!’ But there is no such thing; the brain cannot give orders. Whatever is in water, whatever is in soil, whatever is in meat, is also in the brain; there is no 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.’ ”

Stating that “Materialism is not a realistic model of existence, it even grins [sırıtıyor - meaning it's obviously wrong, absurd],” Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “Human minds and reasoning have developed. What is logical here? Through the brain, because we can see the changes there; there is a physical thing that does all these, and that thing is life. This is that non-physical thing we know as the soul. No other explanation is compatible with observations and physics because matter cannot give orders to matter.”

Life has a purpose

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, noting that life has a purpose and that things are not random, said, “For example, you look at a pancreas; what does a cell there do? Its entire purpose is to produce insulin hormone. For instance, there are trillions of atoms and molecules within a cell, and they work as one. Imagine, for example, 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 evident that there is a purpose in life; this is how it is with everything. This leaf you see is actually a chemical factory; what does it do? It converts the oxygen it takes from the air, the energy from the sun, and then carbon dioxide and water into energy. We, as the world’s smart engineers, are trying to do this. We have done some things, but we still cannot compete with it; we still haven't mastered it. For example, making gasoline from the sun is quite expensive for us.”

Life does not characterize matter, it governs it

Stating that life dominates matter, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “Another characteristic of life is its priority, its superiority, meaning life is the essential being. Matter and energy are secondary beings because life dominates matter. Therefore, it is a higher-level being. Otherwise, life would be a characteristic, and many people see life as a characteristic, which it is not. For example, a person’s color is black or white; this is a characteristic, but it characterizes the person. Life does not characterize matter; life governs matter. It controls it completely. Life, which we call this unseen, unknown ‘secret,’ does these things by manipulating it as it wishes.”

Life is a natural thing

Stating that another characteristic of life is its naturalness, Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel said, “Life is a natural thing. In other words, 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 were to try to create a living thing, we would have to start with a different living thing. You can change genes, and some of its characteristics will change, but if you say you want to make DNA from new, different characteristics, you can do it, there’s no problem with that. Put the materials into a bowl, and then what will happen? Nothing will happen; they will just sit together. Like ingredients sitting in a soup… Then you look at a natural cell, which is not man-made, and there is an incredible 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’s dead… This shows us how magnificent life is and how high-level a being it is.”

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, noting that another characteristic of life is that it is a field phenomenon, 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 sweats out of us, it becomes inanimate again. It is clear that in the realm governed by life, along with the forces of physical law, there are brand new laws and principles represented by life, and they are subject to them. When it exits that realm, it somehow returns to its former state.”

Life is beyond time and space

Prof. Dr. Yunus Çengel, noting that there is no answer to the question of where life is, 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 these kinds of things come from outside. They come from outside but are temporarily reflected inward as if life somehow penetrates. Life is simple; you cannot break it down; it is not made of atoms, molecules, etc. Life ensures coherence; it makes many things one. When life leaves, that thing already begins to fall apart. For example, right now, I am 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.”