CONSIDER THIS: Are We Merely Blobs of Matter Or Do We Also Have Non-Material Minds and Souls?
At the most basic level, the fundamental point of disagreement that separates thoughtful people of faith from knowledgeable atheists and agnostics is whether human beings are merely collections of physical materials or that plus non-material minds and souls.
“The Creation of Self” by Joshua Farris is available on Amazon Books.
There is a superb new book out by Joshua Farris entitled “The Creation of Self: A Case for the Soul.” His bio lists him as Humboldt Experienced Researcher Fellow at the University of Bochum. Previously, he was a fellow at The Creation Project, Carl F.H. Henry Center, TEDS, Heythrop College, University of London. He was also the Chester and Margaret Paluch Professor at Mundelein Seminary, University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He has been a Professor and Lecturer at numerous universities.
Yes, Harris thinks and writes from an Intelligent Design (ID) or Creationist perspective, but, as Dr. Stephen Meyer makes abundantly clear in his review on Evolution News and Science Today, this book is a seriously credible treatment of a fundamental issue.
So here’s the top of Meyer’s review — to whet your appetite and motivate you to click on the link to read his entire analysis, and then get yourself a copy of the Farris work:
“The question is an ancient one. Does our world — and ourselves — ultimately trace our origins to atoms in the void? Or are we the creations of a Mind? In The Creation of Self: A Case for the Soul, Joshua Farris has combined philosophical precision, common sense, and mastery of the field to argue for the latter.
“Each human is not a mere body, but rather has a substantive soul. And our souls are at the center of personhood, including what it is to be an individual, a self with a unique consciousness and experience of the world. We are persons, not things.
“Notable in Farris’s defense of neo-Cartesian dualism is his careful critique of rival theories. Among these are not simply the usual suspects of secular reductive and non-reductive physicalism, but religious rivals as well, including prominent versions of emergence. Farris repeatedly shows that these rivals, whether secular or religious, are incapable of capturing the self — in particular, the singularity and thisness of each individual’s experience.”
Go here for the entire Meyer review.