Pat Flynn

Pat is an award-winning writer, author of five (soon to be six) books, trainer of special forces and professional athletes and those who are neither. Academically, Pat has a background in economics (undergrad) and philosophy (masters). He records music on the weekends.

Archives

Exploring the Immaterial Mind: Insights from Neuroscience and Thomistic Philosophy

_{Pat Flynn and Michael Egnor
December 25, 2025}

Debate continues on the nature of the mind. Are our minds purely material and comprised only of our physical brains? Does idealism ring true with its views of physical experiences arising solely from a non-physical mind? Or is a dualist position with aspects of both an accurate view? Joining us today to talk about this and his contribution to the book, Minding the Brain, is neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor. As Dr. Egnor argues, the neuroscience evidence appears to favor a dualist view of mind and brain, rather than a purely materialist account. And the Thomistic philosophical framework, with its distinction between intellect/will and sensitive faculties, seems to provide a promising way to integrate these empirical findings. Additional Resources Minding the Brain: Models of the …

Closing Arguments: J.P. Moreland’s Case for the Soul

_{Pat Flynn and JP Moreland
July 17, 2025}

Today, guest host Pat Flynn concludes his conversation with Dr. J.P. Moreland discussing arguments for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that a strong, cummulative case can be made for the soul, and on this segment he reviews some of his top arguments. First, the existence of conscious states that have a “what it’s like” quality cannot be fully captured by physical description alone. This points to the existence of a non-physical aspect to consciousness. Second, purely physicalist explanations have difficulty bridging the “qualitative abyss” between physical and mental properties. Panpsychist approaches face their own challenges in adequately explaining the unity of consciousness. Third, the natural human tendency, even in children and across …

Which Theory of Mind Best Explains Reality? More with Dr. J.P. Moreland

_{Pat Flynn and JP Moreland
July 10, 2025}

Is reality merely the sum of our primitive parts? Or is there something greater that informs and unifies us? On today’s episode, guest host Pat Flynn continues a conversation with Dr. J.P. Moreland to discuss the implications of competing metaphysical theories of the mind and which theory best accounts for the existence of the soul. In this segment, Moreland and Flynn focus on the differences between physicalism and dualism. Physicalists believe reality is composed of primitive physical parts that aggregate into larger composites, while substance dualists argue for the existence of an ontologically prior substance or “soul” that informs and unifies the parts. Moreland argues that substance dualism provides a better account for the enduring identity of persons …

Foundations of the Soul: A Conversation with J.P. Moreland

_{Pat Flynn and JP Moreland
July 3, 2025}

Today, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. J.P. Moreland to the Mind Matters News podcast to discuss which of the main metaphysical theories can best account for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that the soul is a real, non-physical entity that has consciousness and exists separately from the physical brain. He presents three empirically equivalent theories – strict physicalism, mirror property dualism, and substance dualism – that can all account for the neuroscientific data on consciousness and the self. Moreland advocates for a substance dualist view, which posits that the brain and the soul are distinct entities, with the soul having mental properties like thoughts, sensations, and desires. He sees this metaphysical framework as crucial for grounding important …

Why Our Minds Are More Than “Meat Computers”

_{Pat Flynn, Robert J. Marks and Eric Holloway
May 15, 2025}

Some scientists and philosophers hold the view that our brains are basically brains made of meat. Today, Dr. Eric Holloway and Dr. Robert J. Marks explain what’s wrong with this idea in the concluding segment of their conversation with guest host Patrick Flynn. For starters, the computational theory of mind may be incompatible with materialism or physicalism, as formal, abstract thought appears to transcend the physical realm. Then there’s the argument that the human mind cannot be reduced to a computational system as suggested by mathematical ideas such as Gödel’s incompleteness theorems. Computationalism also fails to adequately account for human creativity and the generation of genuinely novel ideas, which appear to be beyond the capabilities of any computer …

AI Language Models: Real Intelligence Or Creative Thievery?

_{Pat Flynn, Robert J. Marks and Eric Holloway
May 8, 2025}

Are AI language models like ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity actually intelligent? Or are they getting away with a creative kind of thievery? Welcome to the Mind Matters News podcast, your source for discussions on all things philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence. Today, guest host Patrick Flynn continues his conversation with Dr. Eric Holloway and Dr. Robert J. Marks. The trio talk about AI, plagiarism, and the illusion of intelligence, and, specifically, why AI-generated language is not truly creative and depends on a kind of artistic thievery to get the job done. Dr. Holloway and Marks explain how these models are essentially advanced language prediction engines, not thinking entities. The discussion covers Searle’s Chinese room experiment, the problem of “model …

Can Evolutionary Processes Take Credit for Human Creativity?

_{Pat Flynn, Eric Holloway and Robert J. Marks
May 1, 2025}

On today’s episode, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. Eric Holloway and Professor Robert J. Marks to the podcast to discuss the information cost of creativity. Today’s conversation is based on a chapter in the book Minding the Brain authored by Dr. Holloway and Marks. Essentially, they are addressing the following question: Can the marvels of human creativity, like novels, speeches, and ideas, really be explained by random processes and brain chemistry alone? As Holloway and Marks explain, even allowing for the computational capacity of the entire universe (and a hypothetical multiverse!), the probability of randomly generating a short, meaningful phrase is astronomically low. This suggests that human creativity cannot be fully explained by natural, random processes, …

Soul Searching: The History and Motivations of Substance Dualism

_{Pat Flynn
March 27, 2025}

Guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Stewart Goetz and Charles Taliaferro to discuss substance dualism as an explanation for the nature of the human soul. The conversation draws from their contributions to the recent volume Minding the Brain. After a brief history of how the concept of the soul has been understood, Goetz and Taliaferro explain the main motivations for substance dualism: the common sense intuition that we are more than just our physical bodies, as well as the view that we have a sense of self-awareness and subjective experience that cannot be reduced to physical processes. The trio also review some of the objections against substance dualism. Additional Resources Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science Podcast TranscriptDownload …

Dr. Winston Ewert: The Limits of Artificial Intelligence

_{Pat Flynn and Winston Ewert
February 20, 2025}

On this episode of Mind Matters News, guest host Pat Flynn concludes a conversation with Dr. Winston Ewert about his contribution to the recent volume Minding the Brain. This segment explores the implications of the view that human cognition can be reduced to a sophisticated algorithm, as Ewert argues. Ewert contends that an algorithm can only construct an algorithm less sophisticated than itself, based on the limitations of the halting problem in computer science. This poses challenges for views like the “singularity” hypothesis that predict exponentially increasing artificial intelligence. Ewert’s argument suggests there are limits to how intelligent an artificial intelligence can become, and that something beyond an algorithm must be responsible for …

Dr. Winston Ewert: The Human Mind’s Sophisticated Algorithm And Its Implications

_{Pat Flynn and Winston Ewert
February 13, 2025}

On this episode of Mind Matters News, guest host Pat Flynn begins a conversation with Dr. Winston Ewert about Ewert’s chapter in the recent volume Minding the Brain. In his contribution, titled “The Human Mind’s Sophisticated Algorithm and Its Implications,” Dr. Ewert argues that the human mind’s problem-solving cognition can be modeled as a sophisticated algorithm. Ewert explains that any cognitive task can be expressed as a version of the halting problem from computer science, where an algorithm either halts or continues infinitely. He suggests that humans are able to solve a large and sophisticated subset of these problems, but are limited in the same way that no algorithm can solve all halting problems. Ewert contends that this algorithmic view of …

Beyond the Physical: A Panel Discussion on the Nature of the Mind

_{Pat Flynn, Robert J. Marks and Brian Krouse
January 30, 2025}

Many proponents of artificial intelligence operate from an assumption that our own minds and conscious experience can be solely attributed to our physical brains. But is this assumption true? This question is the key focus of the book Minding the Brain, edited by our guests: Angus Menuge, Brian Krouse, and Robert J. Marks. Joining them to discuss this volume is today’s host, Pat Flynn. Minding the Brain aims to explore alternatives to physicalism/materialism in philosophy of mind, bringing together experts from various fields like computer science, neuroscience, and philosophy. The book aims to open up the discussion and show that physicalism is not the only viable option, encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue between science and philosophy of mind. Enjoy this discussion with …

Consciousness, Materialism, and the Limits of Reductionism

_{Pat Flynn and Selmer Bringsjord
November 7, 2024}

On this episode, host Pat Flynn concludes a three-part conversation with Dr. Selmer Bringsjord about all things related to AI, consciousness, and rationality. In Part 3, Flynn and Bringsjord summarize their points about integrated information theory and an alternative view, cognitive consciousness. The discussion explores the challenges of explaining consciousness from a materialist or physicalist perspective, noting the apparent qualitative gap between physical/computational systems and subjective conscious experience. Along the way, the discussion contrasts the eliminativist view, which denies the reality of consciousness, with the panpsychist view, arguing that both represent extreme positions that fail to account for the undeniable reality of subjective experience. As they …

Consciousness Conundrum: Integrated Information Theory vs. Cognitive Consciousness

_{Pat Flynn and Selmer Bringsjord
October 24, 2024}

On this episode, host Pat Flynn continues a three-part conversation with Dr. Selmer Bringsjord about all things related to AI, consciousness, and rationality. In Part 2, the discussion turns to Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and its claims about consciousness. IIT proposes that consciousness arises from the degree of informational integration in a system, so more integrated systems would have higher levels of consciousness. However, Flynn and Dr. Bringsjord argue that this view is flawed, as it leads to the counterintuitive conclusion that even simple devices like smartphones or robots could be considered conscious to some degree. They also raise ethical concerns about the potential implications if IIT is correct and consciousness can arise in artificial systems. The speakers …

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. …

From Math to Mind: Uncovering the Immaterial Nature of Reality

_{Pat Flynn
May 2, 2024}

If mathematical objects are immaterial, does that mean aspects of human beings are too? On this episode, host Pat Flynn concludes his three-part discussion with Dr. Selmer Bringsjord about his provocative chapter in the recent volume Minding the Brain titled “Mathematical Objects are Non-Physical, so we are too.” They summarize the argument that formal thinking is non-physical and extend this reasoning to aspects of the human person. They explain that arguments for the immaterial nature of human minds has a long historical pedigree. They also discuss the Chinese Room argument by John Searle, which argues that the mere manipulation of symbols in a machine does not amount to understanding. Flynn and Dr. Bringsjord conclude that understanding requires an immaterial aspect and …

The Non-Physical Nature of Being: More with Dr. Selmer Bringsjord

_{Pat Flynn and Selmer Bringsjord
April 18, 2024}

On this episode, host Pat Flynn continues his conversation with Dr. Selmer Bringsjord about his chapter in the recent volume Minding the Brain, titled “Mathematical Objects Are Non-Physical, so We Are Too.” The discussion focuses on the first part of the argument, which asserts that mathematical objects are non-physical. Bringsjord explains that formal thinking, such as understanding algorithms, cannot be fully determined by physical processes. He uses the example of the sorting algorithm QuickSort to illustrate how different physical embodiments of the algorithm do not capture its true nature. Bringsjord argues that there must be a non-physical relationship between the user and the concept of the algorithm in order to truly understand it. Flynn emphasizes the significance …

Exploring the Immaterial: A Conversation with Dr. Selmer Bringsjord

_{Pat Flynn and Selmer Bringsjord
April 11, 2024}

On this episode, host Pat Flynn is joined by Dr. Selmer Bringsjord, author of a fascinating and provocative chapter in the recent volume Minding the Brain. Dr. Bringsjord argues for the immateriality of mathematical objects as well as the immateriality of the human person. The argument challenges physicalism and raises questions about the nature of consciousness and the human person. The discussion also touches on the nature of mathematical objects and their non-physical existence. Dr. Bringsjord presents his argument in a simple way, using examples like the number four and triangularity, to illustrate the immateriality of these concepts. The episode concludes with discussion of the significance of this argument and its implications for physicalism. This is Part 1 of a two-part …

Science of The Soul: Evaluating Dualism and Naturalism

_{Pat Flynn
January 4, 2024}

In this episode of Mind Matters, host Pat Flynn concludes his discussion about substance dualism with experts Dr. Stewart Goetz and Dr. Charles Taliaferro. Goetz and Taliaferro discuss the nature of the soul and some of the tenets of substance dualism. They explore the motivations behind naturalism and scientism and the challenges faced by these worldviews in explaining consciousness and mental causation. They also address objections to substance dualism, such as the causal interaction problem and the assumption of causal closure in science. The conversation highlights the importance of considering the role of the mind in scientific inquiry and the limitations of reductionist approaches. The speakers also mention their current projects and publications. This is Part 3 of a three-part …

The Self and the Body: Substance Dualism Explored

_{Pat Flynn
December 21, 2023}

In this episode of Mind Matters, host Pat Flynn continues his discussion about substance dualism with experts Dr. Stewart Goetz and Dr. Charles Taliaferro. They explore arguments in favor of substance dualism, focusing on the primacy of self-awareness and the first-person point of view. They argue that our sense of self as substantial beings over time is more convincing than the materialist view that emphasizes physical bodies. They also discuss the concept of diachronic identity and the idea that persons can persist even after the death of their bodies. They criticize views that deny the enduring self and argue that such views have significant implications for moral responsibility and accountability. Drs. Goetz and Taliaferro also mention philosopher Alexander Rosenberg as an example …

A Brief History of the Soul

_{Pat Flynn
December 14, 2023}

In this episode of Mind Matters, host Pat Flynn begins a discussion about substance dualism with experts Dr. Stewart Goetz and Dr. Charles Taliaferro. They provide a brief history of the soul, explaining that the concept of the soul is universal and not limited to Greek philosophy. They discuss how Plato and Descartes contributed to the understanding of the soul, with Descartes making a significant shift in thinking by separating the soul from the life-giving power of the body. Goetz and Taliaferro also touch on the views of Aristotle and Aquinas, with some debate on whether hylomorphism can be considered a form of dualism. Overall, they argue that substance dualism, the belief that the mind and body are separate entities, is a prevalent and important perspective in philosophy. This …