The Rational Soul: Rethinking Materialism with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor
In this episode, Pat Flynn and Dr. Michael Egnor conclude their discussion of Dr. Egnor’s contribution to the recent volume Minding the Brain. Flynn and Dr. Egnor discuss Thomistic dualism and its relation to neuroscience and the soul. Thomistic dualism is the belief that the soul is a separate entity from the body and that the rational aspects of the soul, such as intellect and will, are immaterial and spiritual. The rational soul allows humans to think abstractly and have free will. The conversation also touches on the resurgence of Aristotelian and Thomistic thinking in philosophy and science. Dr. Egnor wraps things up with mention of his collaboration on an upcoming book titled The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Soul, which delves deeper into these ideas. This is Part 3 of a three-part conversation.
Additional Resources
- Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science
- Episodes 1 and Episode 2 of the conversation
