The FAQs http://website.lineone.net/~kwelos/ Challenges to and Criticism of Buddhism " Buddhists seem to think there is something non-material about the mind. But surely the mind is just the brain, or maybe a program running on the brain?

The philosophical view known as Materialism states that humans are machines - biological computers or automata. The universe does not require our existence - we are accidents of evolution. Our minds are programs running on the brain.

Our minds cease to exist when the brain ceases to function. The human mind has no spiritual dimension. Buddhist philosophers disagree with these criticisms and can produce rational arguments against materialism and in support of a spiritual dimension to human existence.

" Aren't all religions just memes - cultural viruses that take over gullible minds? The belief that all religions are parasites of the mind is known as the 'meme theory' of religion, and has recently been gaining ground among anthropologists and other critics of belief systems. The theory states that memes perform two types of actions: (1) Take control of their victims' minds.

(2) Encourage their victims to spread the meme to others. Though meme theory accurately predicts and explains the ... more.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.