
Mind Matters
On the Mind Matters podcast, Discovery Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence considers the implications and misconceptions, the opportunities and limitations, and the applications and challenges presented by intelligent agents and their algorithms. Episode notes and archives available at mindmatters.ai/podcast.
Latest episodes

Jul 17, 2025 • 30sec
Closing Arguments: J.P. Moreland’s Case for the Soul
Today, guest host Pat Flynn concludes his conversation with Dr. J.P. Moreland discussing arguments for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that a strong, cummulative case can be made for the soul, and on this segment he reviews some of his top arguments. First, the existence of conscious states that have a “what it’s like” quality cannot be fully Read More ›
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Jul 10, 2025 • 25sec
Which Theory of Mind Best Explains Reality? More with Dr. J.P. Moreland
Is reality merely the sum of our primitive parts? Or is there something greater that informs and unifies us? On today’s episode, guest host Pat Flynn continues a conversation with Dr. J.P. Moreland to discuss the implications of competing metaphysical theories of the mind and which theory best accounts for the existence of the soul. In this segment, Moreland and Read More ›
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Jul 3, 2025 • 22sec
Foundations of the Soul: A Conversation with J.P. Moreland
Today, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. J.P. Moreland to the Mind Matters News podcast to discuss which of the main metaphysical theories can best account for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that the soul is a real, non-physical entity that has consciousness and exists separately from the physical brain. He presents three empirically equivalent theories – strict Read More ›
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Jun 26, 2025 • 54sec
A Liberating Alternative to Methodological Naturalism in Science
Today, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge welcome Dr. Robert Larmer to discuss methodological naturalism, the topic of his chapter in Minding the Brain, a recent anthology exploring the mind-body debate. Methodological naturalism is the view that science should only appeal to natural causes and never to supernatural or non-physical causes, even if they exist. Dr. Larmer argues that methodological Read More ›
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Jun 19, 2025 • 45sec
A Neurosurgeon Weighs in On Near-Death Experiences
On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks concludes his four-part conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about his new book The Immortal Mind. In this final segment, the evidence for the reality of near-death experiences (NDEs) is examined, including well-documented cases such as that of Pam Reynolds, whose NDE occurred during a highly-monitored neurosurgical procedure. Marks Read More ›
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Jun 12, 2025 • 34sec
Neuroscience, Free Will, and the Soul
Join host Dr. Robert J. Marks for the third segment of his conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about evidence he presents in his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul. Today’s discussion tackles three profound questions. Number one, do I have free will? Number two, can consciousness be duplicated? And number three, what Read More ›
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Jun 5, 2025 • 42sec
From Operating Room to Chapel: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey to Faith
Today, host Dr. Robert J. Marks continues his conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul. In this segment, Dr. Egnor describes how a crisis involving his infant son’s potential autism led him to have a profound spiritual experience in a hospital chapel, causing him to embrace Read More ›
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May 29, 2025 • 1sec
Bill Dembski: The Power of Information and the Limits of AI
If you’re going to binge anyone, it might as well be Bill Dembski. On this episode of Mind Matters News, get your fill of insight and wisdom from Dr. Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute and a Distinguished Fellow with the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. Here, he is interviewed by neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor. The Read More ›
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May 22, 2025 • 46sec
The Immortal Mind: An Interview with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael
Is the mind more than the brain? Is there a scientific case for the existence of the soul? On this episode, host Dr. Robert J. Marks speaks with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul. Dr. Egnor is an experienced brain surgeon who previously held materialist views but Read More ›
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May 15, 2025 • 30sec
Why Our Minds Are More Than “Meat Computers”
Some scientists and philosophers hold the view that our brains are basically brains made of meat. Today, Dr. Eric Holloway and Dr. Robert J. Marks explain what’s wrong with this idea in the concluding segment of their conversation with guest host Patrick Flynn. For starters, the computational theory of mind may be incompatible with materialism or physicalism, as formal, abstract Read More ›
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