Apologetics 3 - Humans Have Souls

Introduction

Substance: “Entity” existing in its own right, independently of something else, not as an aspect of something else. Having its own properties, but independent of those properties. The unifier of all properties possessed.

Materialism: Material substance (matter and energy) is all that exists (i.e. “Humans are just a bunch of particles.”)

Q: What would it mean if we are all merely made up of material substance?

A: We would just be matter, collections of atoms, molecules, cells, DNA, and organs. Nothing would happen when we die, except our bodies would decompose. We would have only physical properties and all apparent “non-physical” properties would just be chemical reactions in our brains.

Q: Are you the same person (the same being) that you were on the day of your birth?

A: Cells in the human body are continually dying and being regenerated. On average, all of the physical material that you consist of is completely changed every seven to ten years. We all know that we physically change continually, but by the time you are 75 years old have you been ~10 different people?

Q: What then identifies you as you over time?

A: For materialism, just that the change is so gradual and there is no distinct lines of separation between different yous. Imagine changing one board in a wooden outdoor deck every year. Eventually, it would be a completely different deck, but when that occurs is impossible to tell, so functionally we always just call it the same deck, even though it really isn’t. Are you really just functionally called you because it is hard to tell when the “you” changes? If not, then what is it we define as “you”? Is there an alternative to Materialism, the idea that we are only made of one material substance?

Substance Duality: Immaterial substance existing distinctly from, yet integrated with, the physical material body.

Q: What would it mean if we had an immaterial substance, in addition to our material substance?

A: That immaterial substance would be what we define as us, the “I”. Besides being the “same person over time”, there are four other key issues that point to substance dualism.

Consciousness

Something is conscious if it is aware of itself and its own existence, of things around it, and of having experiences.

Q: How can matter be aware of itself?

A: How can matter be aware of anything at all? Wouldn’t it seem odd if it was just your body that was aware of our body? If matter can be aware of itself, can the chair you are sitting on be aware of itself? Can a rock? Why does it appear that only humans have this faculty?

Q: If we are just matter, we might wonder what material in us is conscious. Where is our consciousness “organ” located? Is the “mind” just there because of chemical reactions in the brain, as some claim?

A: If the mind causes things to happen in the brain (like thinking you want to move and then moving), then the mind cannot be a causally inert byproduct of the brain. It must be more than just chemical reactions. The controlling “mind” must be separate substance from the totality of the physical body, something intimate enough with the brain for two-way causation to take place, but not consisting in the brain.

Relations/Relationships

How can two people be “close” to each other even if they are far apart or have never seen each other?

Q: Do a rock and a tree have any more than spatial relationships, such as left of, right of, above, below, in front, behind, next to, adjacent to, etc…? 

A: No

Q: Do we?

A: How about trust, love, respect?

Character/Personality

Q: What defines who you are? Is it just your height, weight, hair and eye color? What kind of person are you? How would others define you? Anything different than physical/material traits?

A: How can a bunch of particles, or a bunch of cells have a personality and character traits? Can matter be kind or mean, responsible or irresponsible?

Freedom

Q: How is it possible that we can make decisions, or think about alternatives? How can we have intentions (reasons for doing things)?

A: Today, some deny the existence of a soul and say that what happens in the “mind” is just a function of the physical brain chemistry. If our “mind” is just the “effect” of the brain (which is the “cause”), then all freedom of choice is an illusion, and we are just machines. Because if you are solely a material system, then you have no inner self that has the capacity to freely choose between options. You have no center of consciousness to make reasoned decisions. Physical systems operate completely by external programming, not by inner decision making. Thus, if materialism is true, you do not have any genuine ability to choose your actions.