Michael Egnor

Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics, State University of New York, Stony Brook

Michael R. Egnor, MD, is a Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at State University of New York, Stony Brook, has served as the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, and is an award-winning brain surgeon. He was named one of New York’s best doctors by the New York Magazine in 2005. He received his medical education at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital. His research on hydrocephalus has been published in journals including Journal of Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, and Cerebrospinal Fluid Research. He is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Hydrocephalus Association in the United States and has lectured extensively throughout the United States and Europe.

Archives

A Case for the Soul: An Interview with Joshua Farris

Michael Egnor and Joshua R. Farris
November 28, 2024
Is the mind the same thing as the brain? Recently, we’ve been tackling this question known as the mind-brain problem with several of the contributing authors to our recent book Minding the Brain. In a similar fashion, we can also ask if there’s more to the human person than just our bodies. This week we have neurosurgeon Michael Egnor talking about these very questions with philosopher Joshua Farris. In his book The Creation of Self: A Case for the Soul, Farris defends a view of personhood that requires human beings to be immaterial soul substances, or “neo-Cartesian” substance dualists. Farris situates this view in the broader context of ongoing debates about consciousness, personhood, and the nature of humanity in relation to artificial intelligence …

Alien Hand Syndrome? Relax. There Is No Alien Mind

The syndrome has been used to argue for the idea that split brain patients really have two separate minds and maybe wills afterward
Michael Egnor
September 20, 2024
Split minds doesn't make sense as a concept. To simultaneously pursue two abstract thought processes or moral choices is not a meaningful idea.

The Rational Soul: Rethinking Materialism with Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor

Michael Egnor and Pat Flynn
September 5, 2024
In this episode, Pat Flynn and Dr. Michael Egnor conclude their discussion of Dr. Egnor’s contribution to the recent volume Minding the Brain. Flynn and Dr. Egnor discuss Thomistic dualism and its relation to neuroscience and the soul. Thomistic dualism is the belief that the soul is a separate entity from the body and that the rational aspects of the soul, such as intellect and will, are immaterial and spiritual. The rational soul allows humans to think abstractly and have free will. The conversation also touches on the resurgence of Aristotelian and Thomistic thinking in philosophy and science. Dr. Egnor wraps things up with mention of his collaboration on an upcoming book titled The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Soul, which delves deeper into these ideas. …

Dr. Michael Egnor: Neuroscience, the Soul, and the Limits of Materialism

Michael Egnor
August 22, 2024
In this episode, Pat Flynn and Dr. Michael Egnor continue their discussion of Dr. Egnor’s contribution to the recent volume Minding the Brain. Flynn and Egnor discuss various criticisms of materialism in neuroscience. They touch on topics such as near-death experiences, the limitations of the computational theory of mind, and the nature of artificial intelligence. Dr. Egnor also addresses common questions related to consciousness, the mind-brain relationship, and the compatibility of Darwinism with the concept of the human soul. This is Part 2 of a three-part conversation. Additional Resources Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science Podcast …

The Science of Mind: Debunking Materialism, with Dr. Michael Egnor

Michael Egnor
August 15, 2024
On this episode, host Pat Flynn begins a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Michael Egnor about topics such as mind, brain, dualism, the nature of the human person, neuroscience, and the soul. Dr. Egnor argues for dualism, stating that there are aspects of the mind that are not generated by the brain. They also discuss research on split-brain patients and its implications for materialism and free will. Dr. Egnor critiques the scientists who misrepresent such research and suggests that materialism is disproven by the evidence. He also expresses skepticism about the future of materialism and the potential resurgence of dualism. Additional Resources Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science Podcast …

Caring for the Deeply Forgetful: An Interview with Dr. Stephen Post

Michael Egnor
July 25, 2024
How can we best compassionately relate to those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease? Is there more to the mind than just the brain? On this episode of Mind Matters News, neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor interviews Dr. Stephen Post. They discuss topics such as memory, consciousness, medical ethics, and the care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Post emphasizes the importance of treating deeply forgetful people with dignity and recognizing their symbolic rationality. They also touch on the concept of paradoxical lucidity and the relationship between the mind and the brain. The conversation delves into the ethical implications of assisted suicide and the role of the medical profession in such practices. Dr. Post highlights the need for respecting individual conscience …

Bruce Gordon: Idealism, Quantum Mechanics, and the Fundamentality of Mind

Michael Egnor
May 23, 2024
Does quantum mechanics, properly understood, point to the fundamentality of mind in the universe? In this episode, Michael Egnor concludes a conversation with philosopher of physics Bruce Gordon about the relationship between idealism and quantum mechanics. Gordon argues that quantum mechanics points to mind as the fundamental unit of the universe, as it is irreducibly probabilistic and exhibits non-local phenomena. He dismisses interpretations such as Bohmian mechanics and Everett’s many-worlds hypothesis as flawed and suggests that a theistic metaphysic can provide a coherent explanation for the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. Gordon also discusses the compatibility of free will with determinism and the nature of God’s freedom. Finally, he challenges the …

Mind Over Matter: Dualism vs. Idealism

Michael Egnor
May 16, 2024
On this episode, host Dr. Michael Egnor continues his conversation with Dr. Bruce Gordon about a chapter he wrote in the recent volume Minding the Brain titled “Mind Over Matter: Idealism Ascendant.” In Part 2 of the conversation, Dr. Gordon reviews the strengths and weaknesses of dualism and its relationship to idealism. Different categories of dualism are evaluated, as well as challenges and criticisms of these perspectives. Egnor and Gordon explore how idealism, the belief that reality is fundamentally mental, can be compatible with hylomorphic dualism and address the question of why there is a material world if reality is mental. The discussion concludes by considering the potential blending of idealism and hylomorphism in understanding the relationship …

Mind Over Matter: The Case for Idealism

Michael Egnor
May 9, 2024
On this episode, host Dr. Michael Egnor begins a conversation with Dr. Bruce Gordon about a chapter he wrote in the recent volume Minding the Brain titled “Mind Over Matter: Idealism Ascendant.” Dr. Gordon makes a case for idealism, a philosophy of mind positing that all of reality is, in some sense, mental. Egnor and Gordon discuss the plausibility of idealism as a way to understand the nature of reality, particularly in relation to the mind. Gordon explains that idealism suggests that matter is not substantial in itself, but rather a phenomenological experience. He argues that a theistic understanding of reality provides a more plausible explanation for why there is a world and why we are here to experience it. Dr. Gordon also discusses other approaches to the philosophy …

Debunking the Hype of Artificial General Intelligence

Michael Egnor and William A. Dembski
March 7, 2024
In this episode, host Michael Egnor speaks with Dr. William Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, about his essay titled “Artificial General Intelligence as an Idol for Destruction.” Dembski argues that the belief in the imminent arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is unachievable and destructive. He points out that while AI has made significant advancements, it still lacks the universality and ingenuity of human intelligence. Dembski also expresses concerns about the potential negative impact of AI on human society, including the loss of humanity and the dangers of mimetic contagion. He suggests that AI should be seen as a tool rather than a replacement for human intelligence. Additional Resources The …

Are IVF Human Embryos “Children”? A Recent Court Decision

Neurologist Steven Novella claims that the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that they are “children” under the law “essentially referenced god”
Michael Egnor
March 3, 2024
The ruling not only did not reference God, it was meticulously based on precedent. So those who seek to remove protection from IVF embryos must lobby for that.

Why Can’t Our Memories Be “Stored” in the Brain?

The image of storing and erasing memories is popular due to computer technology but it is not relevant to how the human mind works
Michael Egnor
February 26, 2024
When we talk about memory, we often use word pictures that make it seem as though memories behave like material things but they don’t.

Why Doesn’t God Just Do Something Dramatic to Prove He Exists?

The Divine Hiddenness argument for atheism, espoused by Matt Dillahunty, is that, if a perfectly loving God existed, reasonable unbelief would be impossible
Michael Egnor
February 25, 2024
Philosopher Blaise Pascal argued that God gives enough evidence for faith and leaves room for doubt because he wants our heart first — and reason follows.

The Primacy of Information Over Matter

Michael Egnor and William A. Dembski
February 22, 2024
In this episode, host Michael Egnor continues a conversation with Dr. William Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, about the relationship between the mind and the body. Dembski argues that if information is considered fundamental rather than matter, it dissolves the mind-body problem. He suggests that information is not constrained by the speed of light and can be exchanged through correlations, as seen in quantum mechanics. Dembski also discusses the concept of free will and how materialism denies its existence. He explores the idea of information as a fundamental concept in the natural world, analogous to energy, and discusses conservation of information and its relevance to Darwinian evolution. Dembski concludes by suggesting that an …

My Reply to Free Will Deniers: Show Me

It is helpful to consider the question in this way—not “do we have free will?,” but rather “what does it mean to believe we don’t have free will?”
Michael Egnor
February 20, 2024
No humans live as if we doubt free will. Free will denial is just a way for materialists to advertise themselves, like a political yard sign.

William Dembski on Information and the Mind-Body Relationship

William A. Dembski and Michael Egnor
February 15, 2024
On this episode, host Michael Egnor speaks with Bill Dembski about the concept of information and its role in understanding the mind-body relationship. Dembski explains that information is a verb, representing the narrowing of possibilities and the constraining of contingency. He discusses how information can be understood in different contexts and how it relates to concepts such as meaning and communication. Dembski also introduces the concept of informational realism, which holds that information is the most fundamental aspect of reality. He argues that information is more real than matter and that even material entities disclose themselves informationally. Along the way, the interview touches on various philosophical perspectives, including idealism and Aristotelianism, and …

Where, Exactly, Is Memory Stored in the Brain?

The hippocampus of the brain is important for memory formation but memories are immaterial and are not really “stored” anywhere
Michael Egnor
February 1, 2024
Memories during near-death experiences, when the mind is not in touch with the brain, are often clear, precise, and comprehensive.

What Christof Koch Misunderstands About the Mind and the Brain

In his revealing interview at Closer to Truth, the Allen Institute neuroscientist, though he doubts physicalism, attributed subjective experiences to “brains”
Michael Egnor
January 31, 2024
The brain does not see, hear, feel, taste, or smell. It is the *person* who sees, hears, feels, tastes, and smells.

Leading Neuroscientist Wavers on Physical View of Consciousness

On Closer to Truth, Christof Koch said last month, “Consciousness cannot be explained only within the framework of space and time and energy, but we need to postulate something additional”
Michael Egnor
January 29, 2024
Science is as dependent on the concept of public truth as the great religions are. Thus, when private truth rapidly gains power, it is just as vulnerable.