[[Atheist]]ic [[scientist]]s generally ignore or dismiss the soul as unsuitable for study. To be precise, the [[methodological naturalism]] of [[modern science]] is unable to handle the concept of the soul. Anything which is not material is deliberately excluded from consideration, and as the soul is not a material thing scientists accordingly refuse to study it. This has implications for the study of human [[psychology]], despite the fact that the word "psychology" is Latin for "study of the soul." There is also the question of when the soul enters the body, as this is important for the debate on [[abortion]] from a theological position. | [[Atheist]]ic [[scientist]]s generally ignore or dismiss the soul as unsuitable for study. To be precise, the [[methodological naturalism]] of [[modern science]] is unable to handle the concept of the soul. Anything which is not material is deliberately excluded from consideration, and as the soul is not a material thing scientists accordingly refuse to study it. This has implications for the study of human [[psychology]], despite the fact that the word "psychology" is Latin for "study of the soul." There is also the question of when the soul enters the body, as this is important for the debate on [[abortion]] from a theological position. |