In Search of the Soul: Four Views of the Mind-Body Problem
Overview
Many Christians assume that it is biblically faithful and noncontroversial to speak of having a soul. Yet a wide range of biblical scholars today are questioning whether we have correctly understood what the Bible means when it speaks of the soul. On top of this, contemporary neuroscience is laying more and more questions at the doorstep of the church, asking whether our human sense of self is intelligible on the basis of soul. In Search of the Soul provides a rare opportunity to listen in as four Christian philosophers set forth their best arguments for their distinct views and then respond to each other. Stewart Goetz argues for substance dualism, William Hasker for emergent dualism, Nancey Murphy for nonreductive physicalism, and Kevin Corcoran for the constitution view of persons. Joel B. Green introduces the debate by laying out the critical issues at stake, and concludes by considering the implications for the Christian life—particularly hospitality and forgiveness. This is a book of timely interest to philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and pastors. Whatever conclusions readers may draw, they will find here an instructive and engaging discussion of a controversy that will not go away any time soon.
Top Highlights
“Holistic dualism in its various renditions qualifies as a form of substance dualism, but it posits that the human person, though composed of discrete elements, is nonetheless to be identified with the whole, which then constitutes a functional unity. ‘The soul and the body are highly interactive, they enter into deep causal relations and functional dependencies with each other, the human person is a unity of both.’17 As will become clear in the essays that follow, the substance dualism of Goetz (chap.” (Page 13)
“What about life after death? As numerous Christian interpreters have noted, debate on the reality of a human soul is intricately woven into our hope of immortality.” (Page 29)
“Christian tradition is practically univocal in its presumption of some form of anthropological dualism.19” (Page 14)
“What is contemporary science telling us about the human person? Neuroscientists almost exclusively speak of human life in terms of embodiment as physical persons. Typically, they do this on account of the complex and subtle dependencies of our thought processes on the state and functioning of our brains.” (Page 15)
“First, physicalism is a denial of dualism.2 Second, the nonreductive part is the denial of the supposition that physicalism also entails the absence of human meaning, responsibility and freedom.” (Page 115)
- Title: In Search of the Soul: Four Views of the Mind-Body Problem
- Author: Joel B. Green
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2010
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Soul › Christianity; Mind and body; Human body › Religious aspects--Christianity
- ISBNs: 9781608994731, 1608994732
- Resource ID: LLS:SRCHSLSCNDDTN
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:07:47Z
Reviews
1 rating
Sean
1/11/2019
This is a brief (about 188 pages of text) but good overview of this issue and the major modern views of the soul. Be aware that this is a work of philosophy, not theology or biblical investigation; if you are looking for that, you will be disappointed. All the contributors are, however, Christians. I found the chapter on emergent dualism the best; it approximates my own view the most closely. The final chapter on the constitution view was probably the weakest. I do wish some attention had been given to trichotomy; it overcomes some of the problems of more traditional dualism, but it was dismissed with a few lines. Overall, though, this was a good and useful read most suitable for intermediate and advanced students. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
