Non-reductive physicalism. Yeah, I'm down.

Well, for the most part anyway.

Most of my understanding of non-reductive physicalism is derived from the work of my adviser at Fuller, Dr. Warren S. Brown, and the book, Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? by Dr. Nancey Murphy (also at Fuller). In a nutshell, non-reductive physicalism makes the claim that the human "soul" is an entirely physical entity. We humans are not composed of immaterial soul and physical body. Rather, it is the complexity of our neurophysiology that gives us that quality which sets us apart from all other living things. This is our "soulishness."

Now, I'll admit that I freaked out a little when I first discovered that my adviser, the individual who would be guiding my education and research for the next six years, was an advocate of monism (as opposed to dualism). I mean, can you call yourself a Christian if you don't even have a soul (or think you have one)?

Well, my answer to that, obviously, is "yes," considering the title of this post. And, I'll let you know now that I am not going to defend Christian monism here--you can read Brown and Murphy for that. Instead, I am going to share 1) what caused me to have leanings toward non-reductive physicalism, 2) how non-reductive physicalism has been shaping my faith, and 3) some unanswered questions I have about the whole thing.

I'll try to keep this as short as possible:

1) First, Christian doctrines are not necessarily Biblically derived. One such doctrine is that of dualism,* which is actually a product of Greek philosophy (Platonism). Of course, just because a doctrine stems from a non-Jewish or non-Christian source doesn't mean it has to be completely disregarded. Still, it doesn't mean we shouldn't put its validity into question. Second, As our understanding of the mechanisms of the brain increases, we find that more qualities and abilities that used to be attributed to the soul (emotion, cognition, etc.) can be explained by the physiology of the brain. The need for the concept of the "soul" becomes less relevant, then.

2) Dualism tends to put a hierarchy on the composition of the person; Soul > Body and, therefore, Immaterial > Physical. When Soul = Body, as in monism, this hierarchy disappears, and suddenly, the physical becomes much more central to the Christian faith. A brief survey of the implications:

-As purely physical beings, humans can more greatly appreciate the physical in general. When considering monism, I also consider my role in caring for, appreciating, rejoicing in the physical world around me**.

-The physical needs of those who are suffering become just as important as the spiritual, since they are essentially one and the same. If I offer someone the gift of salvation, should I not also offer them food, water, shelter?

Therefore, the focus of my Christian walk becomes equally "outward" as "inward." Nourishing my "soulishness" is just as important as serving God "outwardly" in service to the poor, encouragement within the Body, caring for the environment, and so forth.

3) Under dualism, every soul is worth the same. Under monism, it seems there is potential for one person's "soulishness" to be less "valuable" than another's. For example, what are we to do with the mentally handicapped? Those who have suffered brain damage? Was Phineas Gage a better man, in God's eyes, before the iron rod shot through his orbitofrontal cortex? As someone who works with kids on the autism spectrum, and does research with individuals who lack a vital part of the brain, these questions confront me rather frequently. Like most issues, doctrines and standards become more difficult to swallow when you find they are dissonant with personal experience.

So, clearly, I am still figuring things out in this arena. I apologize for this rather sketchy exposition of my thoughts (and by "sketchy" I mean brief and undetailed). But, I'm hoping it at least gave you something to think about.

Christina

P.S. In terms of the "afterlife" I believe (for now, anyway) that when we die, we stay dead until the Resurrection, when our bodies are miraculously restored (I assume they'll also be "improved"--like Jesus' resurrected body, that could teleport and walk through walls. hehe.) and we join Jesus. More on this later, maybe.

*Yes, both testaments use the language of "soul" and "spirit" when talking about the human experience, but a) In traditional Jewish thought, the concept an immaterial soul was irrelevant, and b) Even if the biblical scholars were writing on the assumption that body is separate from spirit, they (obviously) did not have access to the knowledge we have of the brain today, and therefore might have had to contribute those inexplicable qualities of humanness to some kind of intrinsic entity--namely, the soul.

**A good book on Christian environmentalism that left me rather convicted: For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger.