Are Souls Real? [Hardcover]

Jerome W. Elbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2000

Do you have a supernatural soul? If you think you do, have you asked yourself why you think so? If souls are real, will yours survive after you die? Is your soul your most valuable possession, or is the entire idea of the soul a fossilised remnant of an outdated worldview? How we answer these questions affects what we believe about ourselves and how we live our lives. In this informative yet accessible book, Jerome Elbert examines these issues from the diverse perspectives of neuroscience, biblical scholarship, the history of ideas, and quantum physics. The resulting study leads to a strong and convincing conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a well-written book that contains a broad range of interesting topics...very readable and the information is well referenced." -- Rationalist & Humanist, Summer 2001

From the Inside Flap

Do you believe your soul will survive after you die? Do you even believe you HAVE a soul? Many people devote their lives to caring for their souls and preparing for an afterlife. Others doubt souls exist. For questioners, the local experts on souls are usually ministers, priests, or rabbis. Not surprisingly, spiritual counselors almost always believe in various spirits, including some kind of supernatural soul. But given what we now know about the brain, psychology, and body chemistry, the skeptic may well ask what meaning or relevance this medieval term can possibly have today.

Physicist Jerome W. Elbert takes up this intriguing issue in his informative yet accessible study. He points out that many contemporary dilemmas have much to do with whether or not we posit the existence of a soul -- for example, the question of free will and the debate over abortion. Reviewing the ancient origins of the soul concept, Elbert looks at Christian beliefs and pagan parallels, and then considers how the advance of science has changed our fundamental understanding of the brain and consciousness. He shows how these new scientific insights inevitably affect our traditional ideas about the soul.

For anyone who is at all uncertain, ARE SOULS REAL? offers an alternative to the views of a spiritual advisor. Various experts, from biblical scholars to neuroscientists, have gathered information that allows soul beliefs to be judged more skeptically. This book brings these conclusions together, offering a new perspective on whether supernatural souls really exist.

Insightful and absorbing, ARE SOULS REAL? is popular science writing at its best.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 399 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; First Edition edition (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573927910
• ISBN-13: 978-1573927918
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,261,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Natural Soul, October 7, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Are Souls Real? (Hardcover)

I am writing this review in hopes of strongly encouraging others to try Jerome Elbert's book. "Are Souls Real?" is an intellectual journey sure to be enjoyed by both the generalist and specialist alike; the former will love its broad scope and survey of various fields of inquiry, while the latter will appreciate Elbert's ability to explain the details and nitty-gritty through it all.

When you think of the concept of a soul, do you think of your own or others' religious beliefs? Elbert offers such readers much to chew on here, providing a lucid and engrossing introduction to the world of Biblical scholarship and criticism.

Do you equate the idea of soul with that of "mind"? Do you ever wonder what it is that wonders, this thing called mind? Is the mind the brain? Any and all of these questions are tackled by Elbert in the book, and I cannot conceive of a thoughtful reader who will not find much to ponder on these pages.

Do you ever wonder just what someone means when they talk of free will? Is there such a thing, and does it require a soul? Does the last question seem, for whatever reason, preposterous to even ask? Elbert does ask these questions, and provides some rather convincing answers, drawing on the latest and best information we have gleaned from science to lead the way.

If any of the above questions piqued your interest, you will probably find Are Souls Real? a very worthwhile read. In the process of investigating the notion of soul, Elbert catches the reader up on the latest in the physical and life sciences, allowing one a degree of literacy perfect for acting as a springboard to further reading in the world of popular science writing. Elbert's coverage of the latest in New Testament scholarship seems particularly well-suited to "breaking in" those never before exposed to such ideas, as he is quite adept at summarizing the ideas and work of some of the biggest scholars in the field.

Are Souls Real? Why don't you read the book and decide for yourself?

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Introduction to Modern Science and the Soul, December 23, 2000

By 

Bradley P. Rich (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Are Souls Real? (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book and one I would encourage every thinking person to read. I have downgraded it a little because it ends with some pointless moralizing, but it is a superb introduction to the history of the soul, the history of the universe, contempory theory on the workings of the brain, discussions of free will, determinism, chaos theory and quantum physics. This book will expose the lay reader to the implications of current thinking in various disciplines as it relates to the existence of the soul or other non-material principle of causation. In short, this book is a great introduction to thinking about these issues, and reading it will send you after more reading on the subject. Highly recommended.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making better choices, November 22, 2000

By 

Tim Widrick (Merritt Island, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Are Souls Real? (Hardcover)

This is a very important book and I really hope I can convince people to read it. The author very effectively takes on the challenge of answering: "What does it mean to be human? Do we have souls?"

The author combines the research of various fields to investigate the reality of the soul. The book is written in a very accessible manner and, many times, there is a sentence or paragraph or section that very simply and surprisingly makes a point crystal clear. Throughout, the author never seems to have an "ax to grind," he just presents his material in a very refreshingly logical way.

Early in the book, the author includes a wonderful discussion on how science works and how religion and science have "gotten along." He then researches some ancient ideas on the soul. Since Christianity is so prevalent, the author goes into some details about its origins. He gets the reader caught up on much of the recent research (by Burton Mack, Robert Funk and others) on Jesus and the New Testament. He also traces the origins of some of the ancient beliefs and stories. This historical look includes many of the people who have had an impact on modern-day ideas of the soul, such as Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, and Descartes.

He then discusses such things as the Big Bang, the formation of our solar system, the origin of life, and some of the fascinating theories of today. Don't worry, you don't have to be a physicist to understand!

The next part of the book discusses consciousness and other mysterious human abilities. He presents some recent and fascinating research on the brain. (Did you know what an electrified probe can make your brain do?) He discusses the subconscious and conscious parts of the brain, visual processing, innate values, attached values, feelings, and free will.

From all his research and study, the author comes to some very convincing conclusions. In the last section of the book, he gives some thoughts on what it would mean to one's self and to society if the views he presented were adopted. Near the end of the book, there is an excellent essay on why people believe in a "personal God."

I doubt any reader of this review would deny that humans make choices and that having knowledge helps us make better choices. Read this book. Become more knowledgeable. Make better choices.