Question

Some people claim to have found physical evidence for the existence of the soul. Duncan McDougall, for example, placed dying people on a very precise scale and found that they lost between ¾ oz. and 1½ oz. at the moment of death. Does this prove the existence of a Cartesian soul? (Descartes' conception of the mind/soul).

Answer 1

Answer:

No

Explanation:

The information that Duncan McDougall has discovered does not prove the existence of a Cartesian Soul because it does not clearly tie the missing weight to the soul. Other scientists believe that the lost weight upon death is simply due to the body's excessive sweating and that the lost weight can be accounted for as liquids that have left the body and not a Cartesian Soul. Therefore, unless there is a clear and undeniable link between the lost body weight and a Cartesian Soul it does not prove anything.