The Spandrels of San Marco

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If we are animals, I would have thought it's biologically very plausible given what we know of animals and how they're built. But then one might wonder, well, how could this possibly be? Alex: In searching for something that survives death, you've limited your search to things which are physical. And therefore you're applying this assumption that the soul itself has to be physical. Even in ancient Christian tradition, the soul is not described as physical. That goes back to the Hebrew scriptures and it also applies to the New Testament.

There’s a sort of spark to life — moments that stir up something inside of us that we can’t explain. Maybe you've experienced this while playing with your dog, or singing along at a concert, or seeing the Northern Lights.

Perhaps these sparks are simply neurons firing, chemicals releasing, and muscles contracting. Or perhaps these sparks point to something like a soul, something transcendent. How do we know which it is? And what do we do when our evidence remains elusive?

This episode is an excerpt from a Veritas Forum at MIT in 2016. You’ll hear from biologist Dr. Ken Miller (Brown University), and philosopher Dr. Alex Byrne (MIT), as they discuss the human soul, evidence, and what gods we do — or don’t — believe in. This vibrant conversation is moderated by Dr. Ian Hutchinson, a nuclear physicist at MIT.

Watch the full Forum event here.
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