The claim consciousness would have been detected.

It keeps being claimed (eg David Papineau, Sean Carroll et al) that if consciousness caused anything in the brain over and above physical causation, then neuroscientists would have detected it by now.  I have no idea why they would think this.  The initial change precipitated in the brain might only have a minute effect, but then, via physical chains of causes and effects, cascade to larger and larger effects (see the video). Since neuroscientists are materialists, they won't be looking for any such influence and our functional MRI's lack the resolution to make any assertions in this regard in any case. It's just silly nonsense that materialists constantly put out.

Note that the notion that the world is physically closed is incoherent in any case.  I argue this in my other blog in my A Causal Consciousness, Free Will, and Dualism.

Was the Universe caused?

Suppose we observe a chain of toppling dominoes. Which would be the best explanation for why they are all falling over?

a) The very first domino just fell over all by itself without any cause whatsoever.

b) The chain of dominoes is infinitely long so no first falling domino is required.

c) An external agent pushed the very first one over.

"a" is to give up on a rational explanations. If the first domino falls all by itself, then why can't all the other dominoes just fall by themselves?


"b" simply leaves unanswered as to why an infinite chain of dominoes exist. It either exists without a cause -- in which case again we have to give up on a rational explanation -- or they were caused by an external agent.

Opting for "a" or "b" is to give up on providing an explanation. Only "c" is viable.

The same goes for the entire physical Universe (and no, what caused God is not a valid refutation).