The Nature of Soul, or Is It Just Nature?

Abstract

Gall wanted to develop a science based on what could be observed and felt—one devoid of metaphysics. Unlike Descartes, whose separation of the soul and the physical body was still very influential, especially among the faithful, he felt speculating about the soul was superfluous for understanding the mind and brain. He was a firm believer in the Great Chain of Being, and viewed humans not as having an “immaterial principle,” but instead as having a more highly developed brain than other animals. And rather than debating the unity of the soul or whether it is immortal, he chose to emphasize how specific behaviors could be affected by brain damage, maturation, cerebral atrophy, and the like. Gall’s faculties of mind helped humans and other animals survive and cope with everyday life, and he saw them as far more dependent on nature than on nurture. With this mindset, he felt able to account for both species differences and individual strengths and weaknesses. More than to anyone else, Gall was indebted to Prussian philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder for providing him with this philosophical orientation.