Are You Just a Biological Machine? | Dr. Joshua Farris on Why Souls

What difference would it make if you really are more than your physical body? Dr. Joshua Ryan Farris of  @soulsciencemin  joins us to discuss his new book, Why Souls? A Mirror to the Universe, and why the existence of the soul changes how we understand reality, human identity, consciousness, freedom, equality, and even life after death. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of imitating human thought, an old question has become increasingly urgent: What actually makes us human? In this episode, we explore whether AI can truly think or know anything, why consciousness seems to require a conscious subject, how the soul relates to libertarian free will and rational agency, what grounds fundamental human equality, and whether near-death experiences provide evidence that we are more than our bodies.  Check out Dr. Farris's work here: https://soulscienceministries.com/ Check out Why Souls? A Mirror to the Universe: https://a.co/d/0eJLygrn Got a question? Join the conversation: https://www.freethinkingministries.com/contact Like this episode? Consider supporting FTM so we can continue producing conversations like this one: https://www.freethinkingministries.com/donate ➡️ CHAPTERS ⬅️ 00:00 What Are You? The Soul in the Age of AI 04:10 Why Write Why Souls? 06:56 Why the Soul Changes Everything 10:35 Are People Becoming More Spiritual? 15:22 Can Belief in the Soul Point People Toward Christianity? 16:59 What Exactly Is a Soul? 20:39 Can AI Become Actual Intelligence? 26:26 Does ChatGPT Actually Know Anything? 30:13 Consciousness Requires a Someone 37:34 Does the Soul Ground Free Will and Rational Agency? 45:44 What Makes All Human Beings Equal? 50:50 What Makes Tim and LeBron James Equal? 54:18 Do Near-Death Experiences Provide Evidence for the Soul? 56:52 Can Materialism Explain Near-Death Experiences? 1:04:00 Can You Be a Christian Materialist? 1:07:42 Why Are Near-Death Experiences Dismissed So Quickly? 1:12:36 Why Should Ordinary People Care About the Soul? 1:14:45 Closing Thoughts with Dr. Farris ➡️ SOCIALS ⬅️ Website: https://freethinkingministries.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeThinkInc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethinkinc X: https://x.com/freethinkmin TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freethinkinc #Apologetics #FreeThinking #Christianity #Souls