Désanne van Brederode
(1970) studied philosophy. In 1994 she made her debut with the much talked about novel Ave Verum Corpus/Gegroet waarlijk lichaam. In 1997 she published Oerboek en Credo: bezielde verhalen uit de Nederlandse literatuur (Primeval Book and Creed: enchanted Stories from Dutch Literature), a year later followed by a collection of essays: Stiller leven. Subsequently she published the novels Mensen met een hobby (2001) and Het opstaan (the Rising). Van Brederode writes articles and delivers lectures on ethical subjects. She is a columnist in the political tv programme Buitenhof. In the pamphlet Modern dédain (Modern Disdain) which appeared in March 2006 she shows that the contempt for the deepening of the spirit takes on such grotesque forms that even cultural media and educational institutions adapt to the prejudices of the masses.
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In search of the soul. Part 1: Science
'Your soul is something holy, she has been breathed in by God and as she gets older she grows little hairs.' That's how the soul was thought of in the Middle Ages. But what is the present state of affairs, is she still breathed in by God, and if so: by which one? Can the soul be explained biologically, even if we can no longer count on it that she weighs 21 grams? Is the soul only to be found in art, or is it that devitalization yields better art? Writers, scientists, philosophers, religious experts and artists were in search of the soul. An expedition in three parts.
Strictly speaking there is no evidence whatsoever as to the existence of the soul. From three scientific disciplines a quest for the soul therefore is an impossible task. Midas Dekker lead the way. He did so with a story about body and soul which he has written specially for Winternachten. Douwe Draaisma, professor of the history of psychology and writer Désanne van Brederode did each react from their own field of study. The three of them came to a better understanding of the biological, neurological and ethical values of the soul. Dutch spoken.
