The Soul Delusion

The concept of the soul is a “crackpot” idea ripe for debunking, according to this strident treatise from University of Washington psychology professor Barash (The Survival Game). Its popularity, the author suggests, derives from a number of factors: the soul assuages the fear of death by suggesting a part of the self is immortal; it keeps populations “on the straight-and-narrow” by wielding fears of eternal damnation (Barash calls such threats “the cosmic stick” of organized religions); and panders to humans’ egoistic self-perception as special. Still, the concept of the soul is riddled with downsides, Barash contends, including the corresponding fear of hell, its negation of modern science, and its detracting from the value of one’s “wild and precious life.” The belief also lacks any practical grounding, according to Barash, who notes that science has failed to conclusively identify a moment of “ensoulment” within the life cycle. While the author builds a robust scientific case, he too casually dismisses religious notions of the soul, which he shoehorns into a single chapter that skims across thousands of years’ worth of history. The result is an intermittently thought-provoking but ultimately incomplete rebuttal of a foundational spiritual concept. (Nov.)