What are the strengths and weaknesses of the most common mind-brain theories? On today’s episode, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor concludes his conversation with Dr. Angus Menuge about the mind-brain relationship and the popular dualistic theories of Cartesian dualism and Thomistic dualism. Cartesian dualism posits that the mind and body are fundamentally different substances, with the mind being immaterial and the body being material. Thomistic dualism, on the other hand, sees the mind and body as one substance, with the mind being the form of a human being. Dr. Menuge presents some of the strengths and weaknesses of both theories. The conversation also touches on topics such as the unity of consciousness, near-death experiences, information realism, and the limitations of reductionist …
When the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a constitutional right in Roe v. Wade in 1973, it not only throttled an important ongoing democratic debate in the country about legalizing abortion, but it tore this country’s culture apart. In the next fifty years, dedicated pro-life activists committed themselves to democratic engagement and advocacy to reverse Roe and return the struggle over the right to life to the democratic sphere. That decades-long effort bore fruit last year in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs. But that is far from the end of the story. The abortion issue continues to roil the country, with state legislatures passing dramatically different laws about the issue and voters in state initiative elections, such as in Kansas and Ohio, supporting legalization. With …
The homelessness and addiction catastrophes on our city streets seem intractable. Unhygienic squatter tent cities. Human waste on our sidewalks. Used needles littering our parks. Crime. Collapsing commercial districts. It’s enough to make one turn away in despair and allow areas of our once most beautiful cities to become no-go zones. But some refuse to yield. One is veteran independent journalist Jonathan Choe. Choe focuses his journalism on homelessness, drug addiction, and the mental health crisis ravaging America through hard-hitting video narratives. In this episode of Humanize, Choe will describes the horrors—and heroism—he encounters daily as he covers the homelessness beat Choe is a Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering …
Join us at the 6th Annual Dallas Conference on Science & Faith hosted by Park Cities Presbyterian Church on February 17, 2024. This year’s conference will explore the theme: Privileged Planet — The Intelligent Design of Earth and its Inhabitants. Plenary speakers will include Research Scientist and Former NASA Engineer Bijan Nemati, Philosopher of Science Jay W. Richards, Astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez, and Philosopher of Science Stephen Meyer. Additional breakout sessions will explore special topics like Kepler’s view of the cosmos, intelligent design as a predictive scientific theory, archaeological evidence of the Bible, C.S. Lewis on evolution and intelligent design, and the uniqueness of the human mind. Whether you join us in Dallas or online, …
We invite you to save the date for God’s Splendor in the Universe — the 12th Annual Westminster Conference on Science & Faith, scheduled for September 20–21, 2024 in the Philadelphia area. This 2-day conference will explore the finely-tuned design of the cosmos, the uniqueness of our solar system and planet, and implications on faith. Speakers will include philosopher Jay Richards and astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez, co-authors of The Privileged Planet, and distinguished professor Dr. Vern Poythress of Westminster Theological Seminary. The conference will coincide with the release of an updated and expanded 20th-anniversary edition of The Privileged Planet, a seminal book on the fine-tuning of our planet for life and scientific discovery. This annual conference …
You’re Invited! Nothing compares to the otherworldy experience of witnessing a total solar eclipse in person. A drop in temperature, a 360-degree sunset, a silvery sheen in the sky, stars and planets strangely visible mid-day, insects and birds behaving erratically, shadows becoming distorted…it is truly one of the greatest shows on Earth. Beyond the unique sensory experience lies something even more astonishing — a cosmological coincidence of metaphysical significance to human existence and the scientific enterprise. Discovery Institute is pleased, then, to invite you to join us in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex on April 7-8, 2024 for a one-of-a-kind eclipse experience, when the “path of totality” will pass directly over our event …