About

Supported by the Royal Institute of Philosophy

Speaker: Professor Eric Olson

Are we made entirely of matter, like sticks and stones? Or do we have a soul—a nonphysical entity—where our mental lives take place? Drawing on his recent book with Aaron Segal, "Do we have a soul? A debate", Professor Olson considers the question. While he doesn't believe in souls, he finds the view fascinating, and will talk about its implications. In particular, the fact that head injuries don't just stop us from interacting with our bodies, but stop all mental activity suggests that mental activity is a physical activity in the brain, not a nonphysical activity in the soul. Believers in souls have an interesting response to this challenge, but it creates a lot of trouble for them…

Eric T. Olson grew up in eastern Washington state, USA, amid tumbleweed, coyotes, and rattlesnakes. He studied at Reed College and later at Syracuse University, where his PhD thesis was supervised by Peter van Inwagen. A period of unemployment followed. Eventually he obtained a lectureship at the University of Cambridge. He is currently Professor of Philosophy at Sheffield University. He has a special interest in the metaphysical nature of human beings. He is the author of several books: Do We Have a Soul? (2023) with Aaron Segal: The Human Animal: Personal Identity Without Psychology (1997) and What Are We? A Study in Personal Ontology (2007).