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Updated: May 15, 2026

Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
Neuroscience and the soul: competing explanations for the human experience
Jesse Lee Preston1, Ryan S Ritter, Justin Hepler
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 603 E Daniel St. Champaign, IL 61820, USA. jlp@illinois.edu
Abstract:
The development of fMRI techniques has generated a boom of neuroscience research across the psychological sciences, and revealed neural correlates for many psychological phenomena seen as central to the human experience (e.g., morality, agency). Meanwhile, the rise of neuroscience has reignited old debates over mind-body dualism and the soul. While some scientists use neuroscience to bolster a material account of consciousness, others point to unexplained neural phenomena to defend dualism and a spiritual perspective on the mind. In two experiments we examine how exposure to neuroscience research impacts belief in the soul. We find that belief in soul decreases when neuroscience provides strong mechanistic explanations for mind. But when explanatory gaps in neuroscience research are emphasized, belief in soul is enhanced, suggesting that physical and metaphysical explanations may be used reflexively as alternative theories for mind. Implications for the future of belief in soul and neuroscience research are discussed.
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