Today’s episode is a special rebroadcast of an episode of Humanize, a Discovery Institute podcast that discusses the issues that impact human personhood and to defend the unique and intrinsic moral worth of human life. Here, Humanize host Wesley J. Smith speaks to three contributors of the recent volume Minding the Brain to explore from both philosophical and scientific viewpoints why the mind and brain are distinct things. You’ll hear from software engineer Brian R. Krouse, philosopher and author Angus J. Menuge, and Mind Matters News host Robert J. Marks. The trio discuss evidence that suggests the mind has properties not reducible to physical brain activity alone, such as intentionality, abstract reasoning, and free will. They discuss different non-materialist models that can better account for empirical findings, like near-death experiences and split-brain studies, which challenge a purely physicalist explanation of the mind. The conversation highlights the importance of being open to alternative paradigms in scientific research on the nature of consciousness and the human person.

Additional Resources

• Listen to more from the Humanize podcast here.
• Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science