Why Would a Biologist Believe in the Soul? | Prof. Jonathan Buttaci

Professor Jonathan Buttaci explores the concept of the soul as a biological principle, arguing for its relevance in scientific inquiry concerning living things, drawing from Aristotelian thought, and challenging the assumption that the soul is solely a spiritual or religious concept.

This lecture was given on December 3rd, 2024, at University of Texas at Austin.

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About the Speaker:

Jonathan Buttaci is an assistant professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of America. His research concerns theories of knowledge, learning, and the soul in ancient Greek philosophy. He is particularly interested in Aristotle’s account of scientific knowledge, inquiry, and discovery as shown in his (often neglected) scientific works. He is also interested in more recent philosophical debates on similar topics in the philosophy of mind, philosophy of knowledge, and philosophy of science.

Keywords: Aristotle, Biology, Empirical Science, James Watson, Philosophy, Principle of Life, Soul, Thomas Aquinas, Vitalism, William Ogle