Big Think Do humans have souls? | Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder
Nov 2, 2025
Join theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder as she explores whether humans are merely collections of particles or if something more exists. Hossenfelder delves into the fascinating idea of consciousness potentially being transferable to computers, challenging our perceptions of the soul. She argues that while we are fundamentally made of elementary particles, it's their arrangement that defines us. Can our identities be mathematically encoded for digital immortality? It's a thought-provoking journey into the intersection of physics and philosophy!
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Humans As Particle Assemblies
- Sabine Hossenfelder argues humans are fundamentally collections of elementary particles described by the standard model of particle physics.
- She believes current physics suffices to explain consciousness without adding non-physical entities.
Dualism Versus Physics
- Dualism posits a non-physical soul that doesn't interact with the physical world, which keeps it compatible with physics.
- If a soul interacted physically, it would need to be part of foundational physical theories.
Reductionism Explains Emergent Properties
- Hossenfelder endorses reductionism: observed phenomena emerge from fundamental particles and their interactions.
- She notes no observations contradict reductionism, though practical calculations are often infeasible.