In 2022, philosopher Stephen C. Meyer wrote an article for Newsweek noting that science is not really backing materialist atheism, despite the claims we so often hear amplified in media. He cited three discoveries—the Big Bang, the fine-tuning of the universe for life, and the massive information found in even the simplest cell—as examples of science discoveries that are actually more consistent with theism.[1]
Perhaps that message is seeping into the culture at large in a general way. According to Pew Research, the steady, decades-long decline in the number of Americans who identify as Christians is leveling off, despite the fact that we remain a culture infatuated with science—and understandably so.[2]
In his article, Meyer didn’t mention important findings in neuroscience that make clear that the mind is not simply what the brain does. But, speaking as co-author of The Immortal Mind (Worthy, 2025), I think he could have.[3]
The Mind Is Not Simply What the Brain Does
Stony Brook University neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and I argue—from modern neuroscience evidence—that the human mind is not merely what the brain does; it is immaterial and immortal. To make our intention clear, we subtitled the book “A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul.” We steadied ourselves for pushback from atheists, whether they were Oxford dons or bloggers.
But that’s not what has happened. I was surprised by the polite reception that the book has received from unexpected quarters. For example, when Dr. Egnor discussed our approach with well-known skeptic Michael Shermer and leading neuroscientist Christof Koch on Shermer’s podcast in June, the conversation was notably polite and productive.[4] And when he discussed it—again with Michael Shermer—on Piers Morgan’s show in July, many commenters were pleased at the polite normalcy of the discussion.[5] It was a refreshing change from the all-too-common Punch-and-Judy show; there was no hint of mere ridicule from host or opponent.
Twenty years ago, there was not nearly so much openness. As co-author of a book on a similar theme—The Spiritual Brain (Harper One 2007)—I can testify that neuroscientist Mario Beauregard and I did not encounter anything like the same willingness to listen back then.[6] Materialism was expected to explain everything someday soon and put a stop to all those fanciful beliefs about the mind or the soul as anything more than the workings of a randomly evolved brain.
What Has Changed?
I think that one reason for a newfound willingness to listen is that in many areas, materialism is failing to account for all the evidence. Even people who are not paying close attention may be beginning to sense that. Neuroscience is one of these areas. Dr. Egnor, for example, started out as a materialist, skeptical of religion and spirituality. But he kept encountering situations in his practice—which includes 7,000 brain operations—that challenged his materialist view.
Early in his career, he had to split a man’s brain in half to control epilepsy, yet the man was the same person afterward. Studying split-brain research, he discovered that two split halves communicate successfully, yet it is unclear how they can physically do so. He also discovered in his own practice something that researchers have been learning from neuroscience studies—that people can function normally with large parts of the brain missing or removed. Similarly, as we discuss in the book, people deep in dementia can suddenly become lucid—and not only just as they are dying.
Dr. Egnor also had a spiritual experience that cemented his growing recognition of a reality: The brain he works on is the organ by which a human mind is rooted in the world, but it is not the sum total of that mind. Oft-heard claims that the brain is just a machine and the mind is merely what the brain does cannot be correct. A key consequence is that the human mind (or soul) does not necessarily die with the body.
Near-Death Experiences and Immortality
In the book, we address these and other neuroscience areas that challenge materialism. We also address—more controversially—near-death experiences (NDEs). These include experiences where people whose brains are non-functional report seeing things that are later confirmed as fact.
Near-death experiences have been recorded for thousands of years, but there is a critical difference today that has attracted science interest: Modern medicine has enabled many more people to be pulled back from various states of death that can be confirmed by the recording of vital signs. Thus, one significant change is that NDEs are no longer associated with the occult; they are studied in research published in science journals.[7]
Veridical NDEs demonstrate that the human mind can survive, at least for a time, while physically detached from the body. However, that fact does not, by itself, demonstrate that the mind or soul is immortal. After all, we only hear accounts from people who returned to the body to tell us what they saw. We do not hear from those who did not.
So, arguing for the immortality of the human mind, Dr. Egnor and I build the case from philosophy: The human mind (or human soul) can be seen as having two parts. One part is the material powers of the brain: movement, sensation, memory, and emotion. We share that part with animals. The other part is the immaterial powers of the mind: abstract thought and moral choice. This part is unique to humans. It does not die with the body. This specifically human part of our minds is nonlocal and indivisible and cannot simply cease to exist. This view of the mind–brain relationship goes back to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and was popularized in the Christian tradition by Thomas Aquinas. It can shed light on many neuroscience findings as diverse as the psychology of conjoined twins and the limitations of what neurosurgeons can stimulate in the brain.
Michael Egnor and I are both observant Catholics and the teachings of the New Testament are foundational to our lives. However, we did not reference them much in the book. That is because the Scriptural witness simply assumes the immortality of the soul (the human part of the mind) in the same way that modern materialism simply denies it. Jesus rebukes the Sadducees (Matt 22:23–33) and Paul rebukes some new Christians for doubt in the matter (1 Cor 15:13–15), but arguing the case is not central for them. Now, in an unexpected turn of events, medical science provides clear evidence that the materialist view is wrong, that the mind is not simply what the brain does. Medical science cannot prove that the Scriptural view is right, but it can easily remove alleged sources of doubt. And that is what we resolved to do.
Pastoral Implications of Our Work
We hope that our book will especially help readers who are charged with pastoral care in several ways. One in particular stands out for me because I have had to deal with dementia in a loved one.
We talk about the well-known phenomenon of terminal lucidity, where a dying patient who is deep in dementia suddenly becomes quite lucid, then dies shortly thereafter. What is less well-known is the phenomenon of paradoxical lucidity, where a patient with dementia experiences such episodes, but death is not obviously on the horizon. As we note, “In one study of 124 people with dementia, more than 80 percent experienced a return of lucidity at some point, ‘complete remission with return of memory, orientation, and responsive verbal ability,’ as reported by observers.”[8] But remember, these people had been observed closely, not abandoned.
The trouble is, a focus on lucidity only when it occurs near death may underrepresent its true prevalence. Friends and relatives tend to gather once they know that a loved one who suffers from dementia is dying. An episode of lucidity is likely to be observed during a round-the-clock death watch. But if an unvisited loved one had dementia for years, a number of episodes of non-terminal lucidity might have occurred but never been noticed or recorded.[9]
At a time when dementia is a growing issue, we may be losing precious opportunities for meaningful interaction with the dementia sufferer because of the mistaken assumption that the mind is irretrievably lost. That is tragic in itself. There is a hidden loss as well. If persons with dementia are simply abandoned, we lose the opportunity to discover through research whether the episodes have physiological correlates that might provide new avenues for treatment.
Similarly, pastoral counselors for persons who struggle with neurological issues on a daily basis (or their caregivers) can find and offer encouragement from the fact that the mind itself is intact, struggling to express itself, even in some very extreme situations. It might also help those who are facing death to know that, contrary to what one might hear on a TV talk show, “science” does not show that death is the end. It points in the opposite direction.
The world we live in is a strange place. What materialist of fifty years ago would have predicted any of that! Churches and other religious organizations can use current neuroscience research to encourage a reasoned hope in our human uniqueness and in our immortality. That may not be the future once predicted for the “science-religion dialogue”; ours is a God of many surprises.
References
[1] Stephen C. Meyer, “How Science Stopped Backing Atheists and Started Pointing Back to God,” Newsweek, July 14, 2022, https://www.newsweek.com/how-science-stopped-backing-atheists-started-pointing-back-god-opinion-1724448.
[2] Gregory A. Smith, Alan Cooperman, Becka A. Alper, Besheer Mohamed, Chip Rotolo, Patricia Tevington et al., “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off,” Pew Research Center, February 26, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/.
[3] Michael Egnor and Denyse O’Leary, The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul (Worthy, 2025).
[4] “Michael Egnor X Christof Koch X Michael Shermer | A Debate on the Mind, Soul, and the Afterlife,” The Michael Shermer Show # 527, posted June 24, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alz3SD_G-KI.
[5] “‘We Are Naturally IMMORTAL’ Is There Life After Death? Michael Shermer vs Michael Egnor,” Piers Morgan Uncensored, posted July 4, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbZLq0tIkgo&t=10s.
[6] Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary, The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul (HarperOne, 2007).
[7] See, for example, “New Studies Explore End-of-Life Cognitive Thought & Improved Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Methods,” NYU Langone Health, accessed September 22, 2025, https://nyulangone.org/news/new-studies-explore-end-life-cognitive-thought-improved-cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-methods.
[8] Egnor and O’Leary, The Immortal Mind, 72.
[9] Egnor and O’Leary, The Immortal Mind, 72. See, for example, Andrew Peterson, Justin Clapp, Emily A. Largent, Kristin Harkins, Shana D. Stites, and Jason Karlawish, “What Is Paradoxical Lucidity? The Answer Begins with Its Definition,” Alzheimer’s & Dementia 18, no. 3 (2022): 513–21, https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12424; A. Batthyány and B. Greyson, “Spontaneous Remission of Dementia Before Death: Results from a Study on Paradoxical Lucidity,” Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice 8, no. 1 (2020): 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000259.