Does Alzheimer's Disease Disprove the Soul?

The existence or non-existence of an immaterial mind or soul has been debated for thousands of years.

The existence of some sort of soul has been championed by thinkers separated by hundreds of years. For example, a soul figures into the postulations of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato as well as the metaphysical schema of French thinker René Descartes, often called the "father of modern philosophy."

It is not without its critics and skeptics, however.

Many recent thinkers have proposed that, in the face of advancements in neuroscience, as well as the stark reality of devastating brain diseases and dementias such as Alzheimer's Disease, belief in a non-physical soul is no longer tenable.

A main argument -- advanced by numerous philosophers, including Patricia Churchland, Paul Draper, and Paul Edwards (whose work is cited in the video) -- proposes that, since memory and personality are so obviously dependent on the brain, there is little room left for a "soul" to play.

Others vehemently disagree.

For example, the Nobel-Prize-winning neurophysiologist Sir John Eccles proposed that the brain was an instrument of the soul, similarly to how a musical instrument is merely a tool of a musician.

In this video, I try to provide a brief overview of some of the relevant issues.

Disclaimer: As stated, the question of the soul has vexed people for millennia. I am under no misapprehensions about the possibility of "resolving" this issue, here. Much has been left out of my introductory -- and even superficial -- discussion. Viewers interested in further research should consult standard, philosophical references (such as Stanford's Encylopedia of Philosophy and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) as well as collections of the works of the great thinkers of history who have tackled this difficult, but fascinating, question.

See, also, my written work at:

[GabeGarsia]

This is an amazingly well made video! Thanks for sharing

[cyberdaemon]

There are cases of terminal lucidity when someone with so damaged brain, that they are basically human vegetable comes fully conscious again and remembers and talks and stuff...

[danielbrowniel]

I wonder if the soul can have a "death event" when it comes to tremendous brain damage. As in, what is left of a person after a certain point seems more animalistic.. eat, sleep, respond to discomfort.

[MYTV]

no Cause the soul use the brain to have a human life, but when the brain is damage it prevents the soul from interaction with damage parts if the brain

[XTHEDMANX]

I believe that there is an existence of a soul due to one medical phenomenon, terminal Lucidity. If the soul didn't exist, how could the brain possibly restructure lost memories or even lost motor functions with little to no medical explanation, or better yet why this phenomenon would happen at near death?