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In Search of the Soul

Rodney Ford

Verba Vitae March 28, 2025 DOI: 10.66100/vvj.v2i1.35 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Key points The text describes a book that presents four views on the mind-body problem: substance dualism, emergent dualism, non-reductive physicalism, and the constitution view of persons. It states that the book introduces these views, their supporting arguments, and how each addresses key issues such as the nature of mind and body, the afterlife, moral responsibility, and religious experience.

Abstract

The mind-body problem is a major issue in the philosophy of religion. Some questions explored within this topic include the nature of the mind or soul and the body, the existence of the soul after death, moral responsibility, and religious experience. There are many variations of arguments, including property dualism, substance dualism, materialism, and physicalism. The book titled In Search of the Soul: Four Views of the Mind-Body Problem, edited by Joel B. Green and Stuart L. Palmer (2005), focuses on substance dualism, a variant known as emergent dualism, non-reductive physicalism, and a variant of physicalism referred to as the constitution view of persons. This book provides a strong introduction to these four views, including the arguments supporting them and how each view addresses the critical issues in the mind-body debate.