Soul Searching

Synopsis

David Malone’s sequel to TESTING GOD examines belief in the soul and whether it is more than just a fanciful religious idea. Is there some real scientific basis for the feeling that many even non religious people have, that in addition to their body and their brain there is something else, some inner essence which is the real core of who and what we are? It is that feeling which SOUL SEARCHING examines. Includes thought-provoking input from eminent researchers who have worked with split brain patients and schizophrenic patients and also from experts in the field of quantum mechanics.

Programme 1, KNOW THYSELF, questions where our inner sense of self comes from, with reference to differing philosophical concepts of the soul. Trying to look at ourselves objectively through science denies the real ‘us’ inside and cannot fully answer ‘who am I?' Programme 2, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, looks at what that deeper part to us might be. Science cannot yet provide answers to all the questions we have and beyond science’s limitations is where spirituality begins.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2008

Year of production

2003

Notes

Broadcast in 2 weekly parts on C4 beginning 7/9/2003. The programme will shortly be available online on a pay-per-view basis as well as on DVD

Documentation

The library section of the website http://www.becauseyouthink.tv/library/default.asp provides subscribers (free) with extensive documentation on the thinking behind the programme.

Subjects

Philosophy; Psychology; Religious studies

Keywords

brain; cognitive psychology; human biology; philosophy of science; religious belief and practice; spirituality; self

Credits

Writer

David Malone

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 0

Price

£15.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

104 minutes

Year

2008

Sections

Title

Know Thyself

Synopsis

First in a two-part series questioning the existence of the soul. In the Middle Ages, people believed every facet of their being was God-given. The Renaissance, however, changed such beliefs. Individuals were encouraged to be masters of their own destiny and people developed a sense of self. In this programme, psychologists, thinkers and mathematicians give their thoughts on how brain activity shapes the self.

Duration

60 mins

Title

Undiscovered Country, The

Synopsis

In the concluding part, the programme looks at what the soul is in a modern sense by rejecting the route of the immortal object persisting after death, and looking at how it is expressed in a lifetime. Two eminent scholars, a mathematician and a physicist express a view that in the modern scientific world, there is still room for the concept of a soul

Sponsor

Name

Channel Four Television

Phone

071-396 4444

Address

LONDON
SW1P 2TX

Distributor

Name

becauseyouthink.tv

Web

http://www.becauseyouthink.tv/ External site opens in new window

Notes

Exclusive source of thought-provoking television documentaries by David Malone, accompanied on the website by producer and director notes for research purposes, as well source material used in the productions. Topics covered so far include the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine, the relationship between science and religion, and the mental health of eminent scientists. Programmes are currently for sale on DVD, but online streaming is planned.

Name

Uniview Worldwide

Email

sales@uniview.co.uk

Web

http://www.uniview.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

0151 648 9988

Address

PO Box 20
Hoylake
Wirral
CH48 7HY

Notes

NB. Uniview ceased trading at the end of July 2016. Some of the products previously distributed by them are available from Short Cuts TV: http://www.shortcutstv.com/