Why Modern Science Cannot Explain Away the Human Soul | Prof. Mark Barker

Professor Barker critiques the materialistic view that the soul is merely a mental construct disproven by neuroscience, instead suggesting that the soul is a fundamental aspect of living beings that cannot be reduced to empirical observation or mathematical measurement. The Aristotelian tradition is presented as an alternative to both dualism and materialism, understanding the soul as the formal cause of a living being, inseparable from its material body. The speaker argues that this perspective is more comprehensive and inclusive of human experience and that it deserves a serious hearing in discussions about the nature of the soul.

This talk was given at Yale University on April 1st, 2019. For more information about upcoming TI events, visit: thomisticinstitute.org/events-1

About the speaker:

Dr. Barker was born and raised in New York City. He completed a doctorate in philosophy at the Center for Thomistic Studies (Houston). He holds an M.A. from the University of Paris (the Sorbonne) and a B.A. in Classical and Romance Languages from Harvard University, which included studies at the University of Seville, Spain. He studied two years of graduate-level theology while in France. While Dr. Barker has a broad range of competencies, his research focuses on philosophical psychology, notably in Aquinas, Aristotle, Avicenna, and Averroes. His research in contemporary philosophy focuses on Heidegger. He also translates Spanish, French, and Latin scholarly texts.