What is a Person? J. P. Moreland on the Think Biblically Podcast

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December 18, 2024

Posted December 7, 2023, Scott Rae interviews J. P. about his latest book (co-authored with Brandon Rickabaugh), The Substance of Consciousness. 

Key topics discussed: the nature of human personhood, the existence of the soul, and the philosophical implications of these topics in contemporary culture.

What you will learn:

• How Substance Dualism can be defined: (0:48-6:11). J.P. defines substance dualism as the idea that human beings are immaterial souls that inhabit bodies. He notes that children often naturally adopt this view, and that the soul is distinct from the physical brain.
• How neuroscience relates to the soul: (9:43-13:35). J. P. explains that neuroscience observations about the brain can also be consistent with a dualist view. He uses the analogy of a driver in a car: if the car (brain) is damaged, the driver (soul) cannot function properly, but that does not mean the driver is the car.
• Naturalism and Its Failures: (14:18-20:05). J. P. discusses how philosophical naturalism fails to account for logical truths, mathematical certainty, and the existence of consciousness and free will.
• Personal Identity and Moral Responsibility: (20:09-23:36). Concepts of criminal justice and personal accountability, J. P. shows, rely on the idea that we remain the same person through time, even as our physical cells change. Without a soul, this continuity would be impossible to maintain.
• Free Will: (23:37-27:52). J.P. posits that free will is incompatible with a purely physical, deterministic worldview, as physical objects must obey the laws of chemistry and physics.
• Mental Health Applications: (28:09-32:41). Drawing on his own experience with anxiety and depression, J. P. highlights how understanding the soul’s capacity for choice, meaning, and thought—as seen in the work of neuroscientist Jeffrey Schwartz—can lead to effective mental health strategies that involve rewiring the brain.
• AI and Transhumanism: (33:00-41:57). J. P. addresses modern technology, arguing that computers are not conscious and cannot possess empathy, regardless of their processing power. He warns against transhumanism, emphasizing that human dignity is rooted in being made in God's image, not merely in cognitive performance.
• Communicating the Gospel: (42:00-43:56). J. P. shows that knowing and believing that souls exist is essential for the Christian message of salvation and life after death. For a purely physical being would be annihilated at death.