Last Seminary

Modern Physics & Ancient Faith II: Science and the Soul

" It is...highly significant that there is an argument that human beings are 'irreducible to the merely material' that comes from fundamental physics, has been vigorously defended by leading physicists, and never been refuted...There are powerful arguments, some purely philosophical, and some based on the most profound discoveries of the twentieth century, that point to this conclusion: Our intellects and our free wills are not reducible to mechanical processes or to mere matter."

Sentiments of Reason and Aspirations of the Soul

"...[T]he argument for an intellectual soul provides an important part of a broader case against scientific materialism. It also explains how the coming to be of a human person following one’s death may yet constitute one’s own resurrection, due to the identification with each body of the same intellect. Beyond that, it suggests a further argument for the existence of God. If mind transcends matter then matter is incapable of producing mind. Consequently, this aspect of human beings is not the result of biological reproduction or of any other material process. Being neither the effect of generation nor of modification of any previously existing stuff it can only be the product of creation ex nihilo— and there is only one cause capable of that: God."

Does the Argument from Mind Provide Evidence for God?

"Finite conscious minds such as the ones we possess provide evidence of a Divine Mind as their creator."

The Argument from Persons

"Today I will present an argument for God based on the sorts of beings we find in our universe...I will present an argument based on the existence of persons. This argument is rationally compelling to me, and I believe that it would be rationally compelling to a wide audience, given that it is based on premises that most people would find reasonable..."

Why Naturalists Should Mind about Physicalism, and Vice Versa

“Physicalism, and the naturalism in which it is embedded, both face severe philosophical problems when it comes to accounting for several aspects of the human mind, from the subjective qualia and certainty of first-person experience, through the intentionality and truth or falsity of beliefs, to the reliability of human cognition.”