Selfhood, Soulness

Similar in being
what we have
because we have it.

Atheism is a form of prayer.

You can live through any given series of events in hope or in despair. These are not alternative hypotheses to be tested; neither hope nor despair are ever proven right by how things turn out.

Our courage mystifies us; our cowardice explains us.

Substrate

Consciousness is rooted not just in the flesh but in our lives. Substrate dependence is not about "carbon" vs. "silicon" but life in a sense that applies equally to biology and biography -- to conception, if you will, and to confession. Machines are capable of neither.