Thinking Christianly

#7: What is the Soul, and Why Should We Care?

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A famous hymn is titled “It Is Well With My Soul.” What is this mysterious thing we refer to often, but have a hard time defining and an even harder time understanding? How is our soul different from our body and yet interact with our body? And why is it so important to have good answers to these questions? In this episode we tackle these tough issues, and draw out some of the practical implications related to understanding of life, death, the afterlife, and the person of Christ.

In this podcast we discuss:

  • What Scripture teaches about the soul (technically, “Substance Dualism”)?
  • Understanding what a “substance” is (hint: you can’t weigh it).
  • The key differences between the two prominent forms of Substance Dualism, and some implications of how both understand the soul-body relationship.
  • The implications of Substance Dualism in biomedical ethics and other related fields.
  • Stan’s personal example of how this all became very practical for him.
  • The relationship between science, theology, and philosophy when thinking about the soul.
  • Considering the objection “How can an immaterial soul interact with our bodies?”–the “mechanistic question” and the “skeptical question.”
  • What does it mean that the body and soul have a “basic” interaction?
  • How an understanding of Aristotle’s Four Causes helps us avoid errors in understanding soul-body interaction.

    • Resources mentioned during our conversation:

    • NT Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and The Mission of the Church
    • Jonathan J. Loose, Angus J.L. Menuge, J.P. Moreland, eds., The Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism
    • Richard J. Connell, Substance and Modern Science
    • Stan W. Wallace, “What Are We? The Three Answers Underlying Many Spiritual, Moral, and Political Disagreements”
      • ...more
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      Thinking ChristianlyBy Stan W. Wallace
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