Unbelievable? 04 Sep 2010 - Christian Physicalism: Do we have a soul?

Christians have traditionally held that humans comprise two things - a body and a soul.  Christian Philosophers have written in defence of the soul against a reductive atheism that claims we are material beings alone.

But a new movement in Christian philosophy claims that the atheists are correct, at least when it comes to humans.

Glenn Peoples is a Christian philosopher who subscribes to physicalism - that humans are only physical and they have no immaterial soul.  He explains how he arrived at that view from Scripture and how he defends it philosophically, without giving up an evangelical Christian view.

Prof John Haldane is a Christian philosopher at St Andrews University in Scotland.  He believes that Christian faith and Philosophy bear witness to an immaterial soul - though his "Thomistic" view defends it differently to the prevailing trend.

For Glenn Peoples Blog visit http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/

For John Haldane see http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~jjh1/

For John's Book "Reasonable Faith" see http://www.amazon.com/Reasonable-Faith-John-Haldane/dp/0415430240/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

For more Christian/non Christian debate visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast at http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes

If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy:

Unbelievable? 17 Jul 2010 - Wired for God? The biology of spiritual experience - Christian Charles Foster & Atheist Susan Blackmore

Unbelievable? 23 Aug 2008 - Why there almost certainly IS a God: Keith Ward and Robert Stovold

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