I recently had the opportunity to read A Skeptic’s Faith by Charles Siegel. This book provided a good overview of the two main propositions to the mind-body conundrum: dualism and materialism.
The book is divided into two parts. In Part 1, the author argues against materialism using subjective experience, knowledge and universal morality as evidence. He claims that the “greatest evidence” can be found in Near Death Experiences (NDEs) and devotes an entire chapter to this. Part 2 examines the works of various atheists (specifically the “four horseman of the non-apocalypse”, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens) and outlines the flaws in their reasoning.
I found this book to be a good introduction for the novice. However, I was a bit dismayed that the author thinks the greatest evidence for dualism are NDEs. I think morality provides much better evidence and thought the author’s discussion contrasting morality vs. natural selection to be illuminating. Overall, an interesting read.