Does the Soul Survive the Death of the Body? Prof. Matt McCormick Department of Philosophy California State University, Sacramento

There are Different Ways We Typically Portray the Soul Personal Accounts of the Soul Non-Personal Accounts of the Soul

Personal Souls We often describe the soul as me. It possesses my beliefs, my thoughts, my feelings, my personality, my consciousness. My consciousness continues, and it recognizable by me and others as me. In the afterlife, I will wake up--my soul, not my body--and have a continued existence. (Will I have eyes? Will I be in a location?) Christianity Islam Judaism

Non-Personal Souls Sometimes we describe the soul as an impersonal energy, life-essence, or some universal force that’s in everyone or everything, and what’s in me is not uniquely me or personal. So something survives the death of the body, but my consciousness, my beliefs, my feelings, my awareness do not persist in it and it is not recognizable by or anyone as me. Buddhist Nirvana Chi, Qi

Premise 1: Everything we attribute to the soul depends upon the brain to exist. Why? A. Brain damage produces mind damage. FMRI scans, PET scans, brain imaging, and other medical studies of brain damage cases from strokes, motorcycle accidents, car wrecks, construction site accidents have given us a detailed picture of which portions of the brain are responsible for which cognitive abilities.

You alter your mind’s functions by changing your brain everyday. Mind altering drugs, prozac, coffee, sleep deprivation, fasting, and other physical alterations in the brain's chemistry alters the mind's functions. A triple espresso makes your thoughts race. LSD makes the walls drip. A late night makes your thoughts drag the next day. Anti-depressants make you think that your boss isn’t such an asshole.

Fancy Brain = Fancy Mind Simple Brain = Simple Mind Creatures exhibit cognitive abilities like abstraction, problem solving, thinking in direct correlation to the sophistication of their nervous systems and brains. As we move up the continuum of animal nervous system complexity, they have more and more soul. No, plants don’t think.

Trout have very small, simple brains, and they don't build space shuttles.

Chimps have sophisticated brains, and they are more clever than trout.

Humans have the most complicated nervous systems on the planet, and we're the smartest creatures around.

1. Out of body experiences? People have claimed to float down tunnels, see a bright light, hear voices, visit dead relatives, etc. 2. Life after Death claims. 3. Near Death Experiences. 4. Communications with the other side. Frauds, fakers, liars, and dupes. More Evidence: No Brainless Minds

The Argument Completed: 1. Everything we attribute to the soul depends upon the brain to exist. 2. The brain does not survive the death of the body. 3. Therefore, the soul does not survive the death of the body.

Common Objections: It’s still possible that I have an immortal soul, isn’t it? What about love, genius, insight, inspiration, art, passion, and other uniquely human traits? What if the mind just uses the brain and the body like a remote terminal?

Implications: No delayed gratification: people expect justice, rewards, and happiness in the afterlife. The future of humanity on the earth matters. Environmental policy: natural resources must be sustained, not expended. True, but depressing?

Does the Soul Survive the Death of the Body? All the indicators suggest no. Prof. Matt McCormick Department of Philosophy California State University, Sacramento