The Soul Delusion

Reviews / Votes

In The Soul Delusion, David Barash, wise scientific philosopher and well-read scholar, deftly disposes of dualism, of human exceptionalism, of the soul, especially the vain aspiration to immortality-that cluster of straws still grasped by those who shrink from standing full-face to the bracing wind of reality. -- Richard Dawkins * author of The Genetic Book of the Dead * An immaterial soul may sound appealing, but it requires a belief in miracles, and it devalues life on earth. With clarity and wit, David Barash reviews the scientific, personal, and moral case against this archaic notion-and shows how appreciating our actual lives is the ultimate uplifting value. -- Steven Pinker * author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows * In The Soul Delusion, David Barish performs an impressive high-wire act. On one hand, he wields materialism in gleefully savaging the absurd concept of a soul (not to mention also heaping contempt on those who profit from cynically selling the fantasy). At the same time, he never forgets how human exultation and anguish have fueled and been fueled by a belief in the soul. This makes for a superb read, erudite and stimulating. -- Robert Sapolsky * author of Determined * The Soul Delusion is bracing, funny, and unapologetically blunt. David Barash takes one of the most widely cherished ideas in human history-the soul-and subjects it to ruthless scientific and philosophical scrutiny. The result is a sharp, deeply informed, and often darkly entertaining argument that there's nothing immaterial lurking inside us. -- Paul Bloom * author of Psych: The Story of the Human Mind * David Barash's brilliant, ground-breaking magisterial book on the soul is the best analysis and demolition of the topic I ever encountered, and his final chapter on what it means to live in the here-and-now and find meaning in this life is an especially must read. -- Michael Shermer * author of Heavens on Earth * Barash's brilliant book is breathtaking, regardless of whether you believe you have a soul. Excising the dualistic delusion allows us to see through the glass clearly to live a meaningful and authentic life. -- Dan Barber * co-president, Freedom from Religion Foundation * Perhaps no more poetic concept exists than the notion of soul. After all, we all feel like we have a soul, something unique to our being that many hope will survive after they die. But alas, it doesn't exist. There is no evidence for anything otherworldly beyond the biochemistry of our brains. This idea is repugnant to many people, so that even people I have met who don't believe in God, somehow make room for a 'soul'. It takes a clear head and an ambitious mind to tackle humanity's fixation with this illusion, but David Barash is up to the task. From history to theology to science, he systematically demolishes the unfortunate idea that the soul is anything more than a poetic notion designed to make us feel better about ourselves, or to ward off the fear of death. What better way to spend an afternoon? -- Lawrence M. Krauss * author of The War on Science * Wow! This philosophical and scientific tour de force brilliantly dismantles the existence and even the concept of the soul. The Soul Delusion's arguments are exhaustive, weaving together psychology, biology, philosophy, and theology ways both rigorous and revelatory. I can't imagine a more comprehensive or compelling case. -- Lixing Sun * author of Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars * Most people, whether religious or not, seem never to question the assumption that they have souls. The Soul Delusion offers a bracing response to this threadbare relic of a superstitious past. Written with his trademark brilliance and panache, David Barash takes us on a rollicking ride through the weird intellectual landscape of soul-apologetics, and guides us out the other end. I love this book, and I bet you will too! -- David Livingstone Smith * author of On Inhumanity: Dehumanization and How to Resist It *