Tag: Dualism

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post

News
Date
July 20, 2025

Categorized
Panpsychism, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Dualism, Featured, Introspection and dualism, JP Moreland, Pat Flynn, Unity of human person}

Consciousness and Free Will: JP Moreland’s Case for Dualism

_{He argues that dualism, the sense that we are souls as well as bodies, is the natural interpretation of our lived experience} _{News
July 20, 2025

5

Panpsychism, Philosophy of Mind}

Moreland contends thatthe dualist view isn’t an irrational leap of faith but a well-supported, philosophically robust position. Read More ›

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podcast

JP Moreland and Pat Flynn
Date
July 3, 2025

Tagged
brain, Dualism, Minding the Brain, soul}

Foundations of the Soul: A Conversation with J.P. Moreland

_{JP Moreland and Pat Flynn
July 3, 2025

1}

Today, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. J.P. Moreland to the Mind Matters News podcast to discuss which of the main metaphysical theories can best account for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that the soul is a real, non-physical entity that has consciousness and exists separately from the physical brain. He presents three empirically equivalent theories – strict Read More ›

Body Mind Soul Spirit, Motivational Words Quotes Concept

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podcast

Michael Egnor and Robert J. Marks
Date
May 22, 2025

Tagged
brain and consciousness, Dualism, mind-body dualism, Near-death experiences, The Immortal Mind}

The Immortal Mind: An Interview with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael

_{Michael Egnor and Robert J. Marks
May 22, 2025

2}

Is the mind more than the brain? Is there a scientific case for the existence of the soul? On this episode, host Dr. Robert J. Marks speaks with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul. Dr. Egnor is an experienced brain surgeon who previously held materialist views but Read More ›

view form medical partition taiwanese female in vegetative state resting alone on bed in bright hospital.

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post

Michael Egnor
Date
April 24, 2025

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Adrian Owen, Dualism, Minimally conscious state, Persistent vegetative state (PVS)}

Are People in a Persistent Vegetative State Mindless? Maybe Not

_{They often can and do think. Research in the area helps us understand the relationship between the mind and the brain better} _{Michael Egnor
April 24, 2025

5

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

While none of this research is decisive, the materialist paradigm is challenged by awareness in PVS. The dualist perspective better fits the evidence. Read More ›

Energy of Thought. Human head emitting abstract fractal structure to illustrate working of human mind, Generative AI illustration

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podcast

Brian Krouse, Doug Axe, and Robert J. Marks
Date
April 24, 2025

Tagged
Dualism, Idealism, Mathematical Reality, Mind-Body Interaction, Physicalism}

Is There a Mind Behind the Math Behind the Material World?

_{Brian Krouse, Doug Axe, and Robert J. Marks
April 24, 2025

1}

What does it mean for something to exist? Today, we’re joined by Doug Axe to talk about idealism and what it means for understanding the world around us. Idealism is the belief that reality exists exclusively of minds and their ideas, rather than a physical, material world. This contrasts with physicalism/materialism which views the physical world as the only true Read More ›

Brain psychology mind soul and hope concept art, 3d illustration, surreal artwork, imagination painting, conceptual idea

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post

News
Date
March 1, 2025

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Angus Menuge, Dualism, Emergentism, Idealism, Informational realism, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Panpsychism (vs. materialism)}

Beyond Materialism: Exploring the Mind-Brain Relationship

_{Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and philosopher Angus Menuge probe the relationship through philosophy, neuroscience, and information theory} _{News
March 1, 2025

6

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Understanding the mind in terms of information processing, rather than as a byproduct of brain activity, could reshape the debate. Read More ›

A surreal image of a human brain partially submerged in water, with electric sparks illuminating the surrounding dark space.

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podcast

Angus Menuge and Michael Egnor
Date
February 27, 2025

Tagged
Dualism, Mental, Minding the Brain, physical}

Rethinking the Relationship Between Mind and Brain: Dr. Angus Menuge

_{Angus Menuge and Michael Egnor
February 27, 2025

1}

On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Dr. Michael Egnor speaks with Dr. Angus Menuge to discuss the mind-brain problem and his work on the recent volume exploring this topic, Minding the Brain. Egnor and Menuge explore various perspectives on the relationship between the mental and the physical. They cover the problems with materialist and physicalist views, which seek Read More ›

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post

News
Date
January 31, 2025

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Angus Menuge, Brian Krouse, Dualism, Functionalism, Minding the Brain (book), Pat Flynn, Physicalism (and consciousness), Robert J. Marks}

Beyond the Physical: Exploring the Nature of the Mind

_{A recent podcast panel challenged the prevailing materialist assumptions about the mind and explored better accounts of the richness of human consciousness} _{News
January 31, 2025

5

Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Minding the Brain, to which the panelists contributed, challenges skeptical readers to move beyond physicalism, which is not producing useful results. Read More ›

Two human profiles with a green abstract design, symbolizing concepts of nature, growth, and interconnectedness.

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podcast

Michael Egnor and Pat Flynn
Date
August 15, 2024

Tagged
Dualism, Minding the Brain, Neuroscience}

The Science of Mind: Debunking Materialism, with Dr. Michael Egnor

_{Michael Egnor and Pat Flynn
August 15, 2024

1}

On this episode, host Pat Flynn begins a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Michael Egnor about topics such as mind, brain, dualism, the nature of the human person, neuroscience, and the soul. Dr. Egnor argues for dualism, stating that there are aspects of the mind that are not generated by the brain. They also discuss research on split-brain patients and its Read More ›

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podcast

Bruce Gordon and Michael Egnor
Date
May 16, 2024

Tagged
Dualism, Idealism, Minding the Brain}

Mind Over Matter: Dualism vs. Idealism

_{Bruce Gordon and Michael Egnor
May 16, 2024

2}

On this episode, host Dr. Michael Egnor continues his conversation with Dr. Bruce Gordon about a chapter he wrote in the recent volume Minding the Brain titled “Mind Over Matter: Idealism Ascendant.” In Part 2 of the conversation, Dr. Gordon reviews the strengths and weaknesses of dualism and its relationship to idealism. Different categories of dualism are evaluated, as well as challenges and Read More ›

A poignant illustration of a humanoid robot.

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podcast

Bruce Gordon and Michael Egnor
Date
May 9, 2024

Tagged
Dualism, Idealism, Minding the Brain, Physicalism}

Mind Over Matter: The Case for Idealism

_{Bruce Gordon and Michael Egnor
May 9, 2024

2}

On this episode, host Dr. Michael Egnor begins a conversation with Dr. Bruce Gordon about a chapter he wrote in the recent volume Minding the Brain titled “Mind Over Matter: Idealism Ascendant.” Dr. Gordon makes a case for idealism, a philosophy of mind positing that all of reality is, in some sense, mental. Egnor and Gordon discuss the plausibility of idealism Read More ›

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post

Douglas Axe
Date
January 5, 2024

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Dualism, Idealism, Minding the Brain, Philosophy, substance dualism}

A Commonsense Defense of Idealism

_{Idealism is the most compelling final destination for former dualists, writes Douglas Axe} _{Douglas Axe
January 5, 2024

3

Philosophy of Mind}

Idealism as the most compelling final destination for former dualists (of which I count myself). Read More ›

A meteor streaks across the Milky Way during the Perseid meteor shower of 2016.

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post

Angus J. Menuge
Date
December 15, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Angus Menuge, Consciousness, Discovery Institute, Dualism, Materialism, Mental states, mind, Minding the Brain, Physicalism, science, substance dualism}

Science Needs a Mind to Work

_{The use of science to discredit the existence of mental subjects is fatally flawed.} _{Angus J. Menuge
December 15, 2023

3

Philosophy of Mind}

The idea that science has somehow shown the irrelevance of the mind to explaining behavior is seriously confused. Read More ›

Synaps with neurons in the background, neurotransmitters in synaptic junction, information transmission in the brain

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 24, 2023

Categorized
Free will, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Dualism, Michael Egnor, Minding the Brain (Discovery Institute Press 2023), Robert Sapolsky, Wilder Penfield (on abstract thought and epilepsy)}

Neuroscience Has Never Provided Much Evidence for Materialism

_{In a chapter of the new book, Minding the Brain, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor points out that many great neuroscientists were non-materialists} _{Denyse O'Leary
October 24, 2023

6

Free will, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Great neuroscientists weren’t dualists in spite of the evidence but because of it. Their research really did not support a materialist view of the mind. Read More ›

zen garden meditation stone background with stone and lines in sand for relaxation balance and harmony spirituality or spa wellness

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
January 1, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Closer to Truth (video series), Consciousness, David Chalmers, Dualism, Panpsychism, Robert Lawrence Kuhn, soul}

Philosopher: I Accept Dualism But Don’t Believe in the Soul

_{David Chalmers, whose background is in physics, talks to Robert Lawrence Kuhn at Closer to Truth about his struggle to accept that the mind is immaterial} _{Denyse O'Leary
January 1, 2023

10

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

David Chalmers, the New York University philosopher who coined the term “Hard Problem of Consciousness” was willing to take the risk of openly identifying as a dualist — that is, he believes that, on evidence, the human mind is immaterial. On that view, widely accepted worldwide, the human being has a dual nature: a material body and an immaterial mind. But Chalmers draws the line at believing in the existence of a soul. Here is his discussion at Closer to Truth with Robert Lawrence Kuhn, “Is the ‘Soul’ Immortal?” (May 4, 2021, 9:06 min): The claim that human beings have or are an ‘immortal soul’ goes back to the ancient Greeks, if not further. In a pre-scientific world, it would Read More ›

This experimental painting features swirls of black, grey, purple, and white paints.

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podcast

Joshua Farris and Michael Egnor
Date
September 29, 2022

Tagged
Consciousness, Dualism, free will, The Prime Mover Argument, theology}

The Nature of Mind, Body, and Soul

_{Joshua Farris and Michael Egnor
September 29, 2022

1}

How do the mind, the body, and the soul interact? After years of studying the brain, there are still many questions. Dr. Joshua Farris discusses free will, consciousness, and philosophy on this bingecast with Dr. Michael Egnor. Additional Resources Dr. Joshua Farris Dr. Michael Egnor Buy Dr. Joshua R. Farris’ Book: The Soul of Theological Anthropology Cartesian Exploration What is Read More ›

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podcast

Andrew Newberg and Michael Egnor
Date
July 28, 2022

Tagged
Dualism, mind, Mind-Brain Distinction, Near Death Experiences, Neurotheology}

Mysteries of the Mind

_{Andrew Newberg and Michael Egnor
July 28, 2022

1}

It’s hard to know where the brain ends and the mind begins. How can studying our brains give us insight into our minds? Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg and neurosurgeon Michael Egnor sit down for a chat about all things brain related including neurotheology, methods of studying the brain, and other mind/brain phenomena. Additional Resources Andrew Newberg’s Website Michael Egnor at Discovery.org Read More ›

Unlocking the Mysteries of Life and Death concept.Two human figures join together with bright rays and keyhole between them.

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podcast

Joshua Farris and Michael Egnor
Date
February 3, 2022

Tagged
Anthropology, Cartesian dualism, Consciousness, Dualism, Emergence, Idealism, Materialism, Michael Egnor, mind-body dualism, theology, Transgender, transgenderism}

Why Cartesian Dualism?

_{Joshua Farris and Michael Egnor
February 3, 2022

1}

Materialism is dead. There are simply too many questions left unanswered after years of studying the brain. Now, people are scrambling for a new way to understand the mind-body relationship. Cartesian dualism has become a whipping boy in philosophy, but it has advantages over the alternatives. Dr. Joshua Farris discusses Cartesianism and philosophy with Dr. Michael Egnor. Show Notes 01:27 Read More ›

3d rendering of human brain on technology background

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podcast

Andrew Newberg and Michael Egnor
Date
December 9, 2021

Tagged
Dualism, Idealism, mind-body problem, Neurotheology, spirituality}

Neurotheology: Spirituality and the Brain

_{Andrew Newberg and Michael Egnor
December 9, 2021

1}

Neurotheology is the study of the relationship of our religious and spiritual selves and our brains. How can studying our brains give us insight into our minds? Dr. Michael Egnor interviews Dr. Andrew Newberg on neuroscience, methods of studying the brain, and how our minds and brains are related. Show Notes Additional Resources

Happy beautiful twins girls point up isolated on blue background, two sisters showing something above their heads , advertisement, place for text, body language

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post

News
Date
November 7, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
David Chalmers, Dualism, hard problem of consciousness, Idealism, Panpsychism, Philosophical zombie (p-zombie), Prudence Louise}

Why Physicalism Is Failing as the Accepted Approach to Science

_{The argument that everything in nature can be reduced to physics was killed by the philosophical Zombie, as Prudence Louise explains} _{News
November 7, 2021

5

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

At Medium, Prudence Louise, a writer on philosophy and religion, explains that in 1994 philosopher David Chalmers killed the Zombie in cold blood, igniting “a zombie apocalypse.” Sounds like an unusual role for a philosopher. And the Zombie?: “The philosophical notion of a “zombie” basically refers to conceivable creatures which are physically indistinguishable from us but lack consciousness entirely (Chalmers 1996)” — Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Louise asks us to picture that: Imagine you meet your doppelganger. Someone physically identical to you, atom for atom. The only difference is the doppelganger has no inner consciousness. They look happy or sad, they even tell you of their hopes and dreams. But there is nothing more than physical processes moving in response to physical causes. Their lips move and sounds which are meaningful to you come out, but they experience nothing at all. From the outside you are identical. But from the inside the zombie is a hollow imitation. That is a philosophical zombie. The physical structure, functions and behavior are identical, but there is no consciousness. What exactly is the missing ingredient? Prudence Louise, “The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness” at Medium (October 30, 3021) The zombie could, in principle, exist. At the same time, we all know we are not zombies in the sense that we know we are conscious more certainly than we know anything else. And if consciousness is an illusion, well, whose illusion is it? As Louise goes on to show, for a physicalist (a person who believes that everything is physical), the zombie is an “explanatory nightmare.” It forces us to sense that there is something besides the physical. Although we can explain more and more about the human body in terms of structure and function, there is no good science-based theory of consciousness on the horizon. And if we can explain everything about a human being except consciousness, well, we haven’t explained, say, the difference between Jane and Zombie-Jane, which humans generally agree is important. As Louise explains in her short article, “The stakes are high. If there can’t be a scientific explanation of conscious experience, this shows physicalism is false.” One problem is that science explains third-person phenomena but consciousness is a first-person phenomenon. She then goes into much more careful logical and philosophical detail but here’s the gist: When you move your body to the fridge in response to a desire for a snack, or take medication in response to pain, or lock the doors due to a fear of burglars, there is no causal connection between those conscious states and the physical effects of your body moving. This view isn’t fatal to the physicalist theory, but it puts it on critical life support. Our mental states cause actions which move matter constantly, giving us a lot of evidence it’s true. Any arguments those powers are illusory will need to be stronger than our confidence our conscious states cause our bodies to move. Prudence Louise, “The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness” at Medium (October 30, 3021) Physicalism took root in a mechanistic view of the universe, pioneered by Isaac Newton. And before the Zombie even showed up, that view was already being challenged by quantum mechanics, in which the conscious observer plays a key role in what happens. But, for scientists, physicalism is not the only game in town: Alternative metaphysics, like idealism, substance dualism or panpsychism all avoid the hard problem by denying causal closure. They accept the observation that consciousness is non-physical, and it’s causally effective, which means causal closure must be false. Unlike the observations of consciousness and its causal powers, causal closure isn’t based on observations of the world. It’s a metaphysical commitment. Physicalism is confronting a problem created by its philosophical commitments being in conflict with our observations of the world. Prudence Louise, “The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness” at Medium (October 30, 3021) Of the three alternatives Louise lists, panpsychism seems to the one many scientists are gravitating to. Instead of “nothing is conscious,” many now think everything is conscious. Just recently, prominent biochemist James Shapiro titled a paper “All living cells are cognitive.” And prominent neuroscientist Antonio Damasio offered that viruses have some type of intelligence. Other well-known science achievers argue that electrons have a rudimentary mind. In response to criticism from physicists Sabine Hossenfelder and Sean Carroll, philosopher Philip Goff points out that panpsychism is not in conflict with physics. It offers a simpler view of physics than dualism, with fewer gaps than materialism (including physicalism). Essentially, panpsychism offers a way for scientists to address human consciousness, as currently understood, without explaining it away as an illusion. It would allow them to say that if Zombie-Jane existed, she would be missing something critical that Jane has (and so does everything else, to at least some extent). Whether that benefit makes panpsychism a better explanation of reality than idealism or dualism is a separate question. Each of these points of view has its own issues but the Zombie isn’t one of them. You may also wish to read: Theoretical physicist slams panpsychism Electrons cannot be conscious Sabine Hossenfelder’s view because they cannot change their behavior. Hossenfelder’s impatience is understandable but she underestimates the seriousness of the problem serious thinkers about consciousness confront. There is a reason that some scientists believe that the universe is conscious: It would be more logically coherent to say that you think the universe is conscious than to say that your own consciousness is an illusion. With the first idea, you may be wrong. With the second idea, you are not anything. Read More ›