# The Physical Basis of Thought Remains Astonishing by Paul Bloom > “Cognitive scientists believe that emotions, memories, and consciousness are the result of physical processes. But almost nobody else does. Common sense tells us that our mental life is the product of an immaterial soul, one that can survive the destruction of the body and brain. The physical basis of thought is, as Francis Crick put it, "an astonishing hypothesis", one that few take seriously.” > **— Paul Bloom**, *2002 Edge Annual Question, response passage* ## Sources and Context - **Original Edge response:** [How will people think about the soul? — Paul Bloom](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11559) — a verbatim passage from Paul Bloom's 2002 Annual Question response, expressing the author's position at the time. The linked response supplies its surrounding context. - **Local archival entry:** [[research/Edge 2002 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2002 Full Quotation Curation]] (EDGE2002-012). ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] - **Article:** [[articles/Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta|Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Philosophy of Mind|Philosophy of Mind]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Cognitive scientists believe that emotions, memories, and consciousness are the result of physical processes. But almost nobody else does. Common sense tells us that our mental life is the product of an immaterial soul, one that can survive the destruction of the body and brain. The physical basis of thought is, as Francis Crick put it, "an astonishing hypothesis", one that few take seriously.” — Paul Bloom, 2002 Edge Annual Question https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-paul-bloom-physical-basis-thought-remains-astonishing ```