Tag: Michael Egnor | Page 6

Mount Fuji and Lake Shojiko at sunrise in Japan.

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News
Date
November 9, 2021

Categorized
Information Theory

Tagged
Introduction to Evolutionary Informatics (book), Jeffrey Shallit (on information theory), Kolmogorov complexity, Michael Egnor, Robert J. Marks}

3. Does Mt Rushmore contain no more information than Mt Fuji?

_{That is, does intelligent intervention increase information? Is that intervention detectable by science methods?} _{News
November 9, 2021

10

Information Theory}

In Define information before you talk about it, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed engineering prof Robert J. Marks on the way information, not matter, shapes our world (October 28, 2021). In the first portion, Egnor and Marks discussed questions like: Why do two identical snowflakes seem more meaningful than one snowflake. Then they turned to the relationship between information and creativity. Is creativity a function of more information? Or is there more to it? Now, they ask, does human intervention make any difference? Does Mount Rushmore have no more information than Mount Fuji? https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/3efb31b8-8406-43fb-a8f9-66a0b635215d-Mind-Matters-Episode-158-Robert-Marks-Egnor-Guest-Host-Information-Bingecast-rev1.mp3 This portion begins at 24:22 min. A partial transcript and notes, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Michael Egnor: Dr. Jeffrey Shallit, a mathematician at the University Read More ›

Creative background, the human brain on a blue background, the hemisphere is responsible for logic, and responsible for creativity. of different hemispheres of the brain, 3D illustration, 3D render

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News
Date
November 7, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Aristotle (on perception), Brain stem (and mind), Featured, Hidden Spring (book), Mark Solms, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed, unconscious mind}

2. Neurosurgeon and Neuropsychologist Agree: Brain Is Not Mind

_{Michael Egnor tells Mark Solms: Neuroscience didn’t help him understand people; quite the reverse, he had to understand people, and minds, to make sense of neuroscience} _{News
November 7, 2021

14

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Recently, distinguished South African neuropsychologist Mark Solms discussed the real state of brain research with Stony brook neurosurgeon Michael Egnor at Theology Unleashed (October 22, 2021). In the first portion, Solms, author of The Hidden Spring (2021), proposed in his opening statement that “the source of consciousness in the brain is in fact in the brain stem,” not the cerebral cortex, as is almost universally assumed. Dr. Egnor now responds that his clinical experience supports that view — and also the view that the mind is not simply “what the brain does” as some popular neuroscientists claim: A partial transcript, notes, and links to date follow: Arjuna [host]: And now, Michael, could you give a brief explanation of your views? Read More ›

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News
Date
November 6, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Featured, Hidden Spring (book), Mark Solms, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

Consciousness: Is It in the Cerebral Cortex — or the Brain Stem?

_{In a recent discussion/debate with neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, neuropsychologist Mark Solms offers an unconventional but evidence-based view, favoring the brain stem} _{News
November 6, 2021

12

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

In September, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor debated atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty at Theology Unleashed, on the existence of God. This time out (October 22, 2021), he is teamed with distinguished South African neuropsychologist Mark Solms, author of The Hidden Spring (2021) — who begins by declaring, in his opening statement, “the source of consciousness in the brain is in fact in the brain stem,” not the cerebral cortex, as almost universally assumed. He explains his reasoning with evidence. Egnor doesn’t dispute that statement; in fact, in his own opening statement later, he reinforces it with observations from his own practice. To learn more, read on. A partial transcript, notes, and links to date follow the video link: Arjuna [host]: Hello, and Read More ›

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News
Date
November 5, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Creativity

Tagged
Ada Lovelace, Artificial intelligence (and creativity), Featured, Gary Smith, Judea Pearl, Michael Egnor, Robert J. Marks, Roman Yampolskiy, Selmer Bringsjord, spurious correlations (in Big Data), Spurious Correlations (website)}

Does Creativity Just Mean Bigger Data? Or Something Else?

_{Michael Egnor and Robert J. Marks look at claims that artificial intelligence can somehow be taught to be creative} _{News
November 5, 2021

14

Artificial Intelligence, Creativity}

In Define information before you talk about it, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed engineering prof Robert J. Marks on the way information, not matter, shapes our world (October 28, 2021). In the first portion, Egnor and Marks discussed questions like: Why do two identical snowflakes seem more meaningful than one snowflake? Now they turn to the relationship between information and creativity. Is creativity a function of more information? Or is there more to it? This portion begins at 10:46 min. A partial transcript and notes, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Michael Egnor: How does biological information differ from information in nonliving things? Robert J. Marks: I don’t know if it does… I do believe after recent study that the mind Read More ›

fragment of snow texture Snowflakes close-up. crystal clear ice. macro photo. winter. shallow depth of field. Christmas background for layout. christmas theme.

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post

News
Date
November 4, 2021

Categorized
Information Theory

Tagged
algorithmic specified complexity, Andrey Kolmogorov, Claude Shannon, Featured, Kolmogorov information, Michael Egnor, Norbert Wiener, Robert J. Marks, Rolf Landauer, Shannon information}

How Information Becomes Everything, Including Life

_{Without the information that holds us together, we would just be dust floating around the room} _{News
November 4, 2021

12

Information Theory}

In Define information before you talk about it, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed engineering prof Robert J. Marks on the way information, not matter, shapes our world (October 28, 2021). In the first portion, Egnor and Marks discuss questions like: Why do two identical snowflakes seem more meaningful than one snowflake? https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/3efb31b8-8406-43fb-a8f9-66a0b635215d-Mind-Matters-Episode-158-Robert-Marks-Egnor-Guest-Host-Information-Bingecast-rev1.mp3 This portion begins at 01:02 min. A partial transcript and notes, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Michael Egnor: I know that information is a topic that you have a strong professional interest and a great deal of professional expertise. Probably the best way to start is to ask what is information? Robert J. Marks: It turns out that before talking about information, you really have to define it. Read More ›

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News
Date
October 27, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

15. Debate: How Can a Cause and Effect Occur at the Same Time?

_{In the broken window analogy, the brick becomes a cause simultaneously with the shattered glass becoming an effect} _{News
October 27, 2021

15

Ethics, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), a questioner asks, are singularities really a part of science? Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of Read More ›

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post

News
Date
October 26, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

14: Debate: Is Morality a Mere Emotion That We Project On Others?

_{Theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty continue their conversation about basic issues at Theology Unleashed} _{News
October 26, 2021

12

Ethics, Philosophy}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), a questioner asks, what underlies morality? Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, turning to Read More ›

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News
Date
October 24, 2021

Categorized
Mathematics, Philosophy, Religion, Science

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Atheism (and ethics), Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

13. Egnor vs. Dillahunty: Are Singularities a Part of Science?

_{Also, an audience member asks the debaters: Does atheism make better predictions than theism?} _{News
October 24, 2021

10

Mathematics, Philosophy, Religion, Science}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we now look at questions from the audience on whether singularities are really a part of science and whether atheism is really a belief system that can make predictions. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Read More ›

A Young Man Reading The Bible To Another Young Man In Jail

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News
Date
October 19, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Religion

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

12. Egnor vs. Dillahunty: How Can God Be Both Just and Merciful?

_{After atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty explains his view of morality, an audience member asks neurosurgeon Michael Egnor to explain how a just God can show mercy} _{News
October 19, 2021

13

Ethics, Philosophy, Religion}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we are looking at the nature of good, as well as the problem of evil. Now, as the questions continue, Matt Dillahunty defends his view of the foundations of morality and Michael Egnor explains how justice and mercy can be combined. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were Read More ›

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News
Date
October 17, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Nominalism, Realism, Theology Unleashed}

10: Christian Egnor and Atheist Dillahunty Now Take Questions…

_{For example, “ What is Mr. Egnor’s best evidence of any god that would make me believe?”} _{News
October 17, 2021

14

Ethics, Philosophy, Science}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), the debaters get questions from the audience. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, turning to the origin Read More ›

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post

News
Date
October 15, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Religion

Tagged
Atheism, Atheism (and ethics), Dalai Lama, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

9. Michael Egnor Explains Why Matt Dillahunty Is Not an Atheist

_{Not really, anyway, Egnor insists, because he keeps invoking a moral standard that can’t exist if materialist atheism is true} _{News
October 15, 2021

13

Ethics, Philosophy, Religion}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we find Egnor questioning Dillahunty’s atheism. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, turning to the origin of Read More ›

Two chess knights facing away from each other

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News
Date
October 13, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy

Tagged
Abolition of Man (book), Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

8. Does Morality Really Exist? If So, Does It Come From God?

_{Matt Dillahunty now challenges Michael Egnor: There is no way to know whether a moral doctrine represents any reality apart from belief} _{News
October 13, 2021

16

Ethics, Philosophy}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), the debaters are now talking about where moral precepts come from. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, Read More ›

Demolition of hotel collapse following bomb blast explosion

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News
Date
October 5, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Atheism, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Moral law (as proof of God), Theism, Theology Unleashed}

7. Dillahunty Asks 2nd Oldest Question: If God Exists, Why Evil?

_{In the debate between Christian neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty, the question of raping a baby was bound to arise.} _{News
October 5, 2021

19

Ethics, Philosophy, Science}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we have at last got round to the Problem of Evil. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, Read More ›

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post

News
Date
October 1, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Black holes, Featured, Inductive reasoning (and science), Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Singularities, Theology Unleashed}

6. Is Matt Dillahunty using science as a crutch for his atheism?

_{That’s neurosurgeon Michael Egnor’s accusation in this third part of the debate, which features continued discussion of singularities, where conventional “laws of nature” break down} _{News
October 1, 2021

18

Philosophy, Science}

At this point in the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, turning to the origin of the universe, Egnor Read More ›

Planet with numerous prominent ring system

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News
Date
September 28, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Aquinas's First Way, Atheism, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theism, Theology Unleashed}

5. Egnor, Dillahunty Dispute the Basic Causes Behind the Universe

_{In a peppery exchange, Egnor argues that proofs of God’s existence follow the same logical structure as proofs in science} _{News
September 28, 2021

18

Philosophy, Science}

At this point in the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as a former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). No matter, they agreed to keep talking. The Read More ›

Chess Pieces on Board for Game and Strategy

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News
Date
September 24, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Argument from personal incredulity (re God), Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

3. Atheist Dillahunty Spots Fallacies in Christian Egnor’s Views

_{“My position is that it’s unacceptable to believe something if the available evidence does not support it.”} _{News
September 24, 2021

22

Philosophy, Science}

“Does God exist?”Earlier this month, Christian neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty began to debate the question at Theology Unleashed. As they briefly explain in the first episode, Egnor was an agnostic and became a Christian, based on his experiences; Dillahunty went the opposite route. In the second episode, Egnor set out his position briefly, offering ten proofs of the existence of God. Now it is Matt Dillahunty’s fifteen minutes — to spot weaknesses in Egnor’s arguments and offer his own, beginning at 20:30 min. He begins by remarking on Egnor’s speed of presentation: A partial transcript and notes follow: Matt Dillahunty: Never in the entire history of doing debates has someone come in and, in 15 minutes, Read More ›

Knight chess isolated on gray background

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News
Date
September 23, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Augustine, Augustinian proof (of God), Featured, Fifth Way (Aquinas), First Way (Aquinas), Five Ways (Aquinas), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Moral law (as proof of God), Plato, Theology Unleashed}

2. A Neurosurgeon’s Ten Proofs for the Existence of God

_{First, how did a medic, formerly an atheist, who cuts open people’s brains for a living, come to be sure there is irrefutable proof for God?} _{News
September 23, 2021

16

Philosophy, Science}

“Does God exist?” On September 17, in a dramatic debate, Christian neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty squared off on the question at Theology Unleashed. The debate hosts are Arjuna Das for Theology Unleashed and Nathan from Digital Gnosis as the moderator. A partial transcript and notes follow. Egnor has been a guest at Theology Unleashed, before, debating materialist philosopher David Papineau. The ten proofs of God that he presents as his opening argument below are not drawn from sacred texts but from philosophical reasoning: Michael Egnor: There are, broadly speaking, two different kinds of theology. There’s natural theology and there’s revealed theology. Revealed theology is the use of scripture, personal experiences, or relationships to God. And that’s Read More ›

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News
Date
September 22, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Religion, Science

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

Debate: Former Atheist Neurosurgeon vs. Former Christian Activist

_{At Theology Unleashed, each gets a chance to state his case and interrogate the other} _{News
September 22, 2021

12

Philosophy, Religion, Science}

“Does God exist?” On September 17, in a rip-roaring old-fashioned debate, Christian neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty debated the question at Theology Unleashed. We’ll cover this debate for you, including transcripts and notes. First, each participant was given a chance upfront to state where he is coming from and why. Michael Egnor, representing the Yes side, went first. How did a medic, formerly an atheist, who cuts open people’s brains for a living, come to be sure there is a God? And how did a fundamentalist Christian come to be hosting The Atheist Experience? The debate hosts are Arjuna Das for Theology Unleashed and Nathan from Digital Gnosis as the moderator. A partial transcript and notes follow. Read More ›

Inside the brain. Concept of neurons and nervous system.

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post

News
Date
September 5, 2021

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Benjamin Libet, Michael Egnor}

Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor on the Timing of Sensory Processing

_{One neuroscientist, encountering the timing, made up a theory that didn’t really work, but he was a great neuroscientist anyway} _{News
September 5, 2021

11

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor did a recent podcast with host Arjuna Das at Theology Unleashed, “where Eastern theology meets Western skepticism.” In the previous segment, Dr. Egnor talked about the troubles of being a non-materialist medical scientist, including demands that he be fired and death threats and so forth. In this segment, he talks about the meaning of “soul” in philosophy. Not a “spook” of some kind but common sense reasoning about life and death: Arjuna Das: So there’s a delay in how long it takes for the brain to process visual sensations compared to auditory sensations. So it’s a half second delay and this creates a problem. … We have no free will then. (01:57:50) Michael Egnor: If I can Read More ›

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News
Date
August 29, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Michael Behe, Michael Egnor}

Non-Materialist Science Is Wanted — Dead or Alive

_{Exploring a non-materialist approach to the mind has included a death threat for neurosurgeon Michael Egnor} _{News
August 29, 2021

13

Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science}

Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor did a recent podcast with Arjuna Das at Theology Unleashed, “where Eastern theology meets Western skepticism.” In the previous segment, they discussed the way in which epilepsy provides a glimpse into the way the mind is not simply the brain but has powers in its own right. In this segment, Dr. Egnor talks about the problems of being a non-materialist physician in a materialist world — death threats and all. Here is a partial transcript and notes for the 1 hour 44 minute mark to the 1 hour 56 minute mark: Arjuna Das: You said how scientists, if they reject physicalism, it doesn’t help their career. They might get less opportunities or less prestige or whatever… I Read More ›