Coudln't it be said that ones soul is the compalation of all those chemicals, feelings, ones upbringing, etc. mashed together and what comes out is a sum greater than the total of its parts?
Do people have souls???
- Thread starter DutchAssassin8
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First I should note that, I have done a lot of thinking about multidimensional existence, so my argument is based heavily on the idea that there are dimensions beyond the ones we are aware of, and that they interact with us in ways that we do not yet understand. If you have trouble wrapping your mind around the idea of dimensions beyond our own, I would suggest taking a look at Edwin A Abbott's "Flatland", even if you're not interested, it is still a great read.
Second, in this argument I assume that living matter is somehow different from inanimate matter.
Third, the English language is very poorly suited to this sort of discussion, so some words are not truly accurate, but are the best approximation that I can think of.
Fourth, though I will state that this is my opinion or that it is my belief, what follows is just an idea that I have tinkered with for a while, it just comes out better if I write it as a personal profession of belief rather than a statement of theory or fact.
Okay, so, it is my opinion that everything since the initial creation of the our known universe has occurred in its own time and by its own method, that is, without the willful intervention of any higher beings. Eventually, life formed, whether here first (I find that very unlikely) or elsewhere, matter elevated itself (or was elevated), from inanimate to animate. When this happened, or perhaps because it happened, extra-dimensional consciousness was able to permeate our physical dimension and (Again, I believe that this is not a willful act but a sort of natural order. Think water bleeding through tissue rather than fingers poking through.) become linked to the newly formed organisms.
Every living being is linked to this entity (or entities, but the concept of one vs many may not apply). This is what forms the "observer" part of our own consciousness, the part that sees through our eyes, hear through our ears, and so on, but is also able to "look" back through our memories and perhaps to deal with emotions. The observer is present in all living beings, but is restricted by the tools it is given, smaller brains would mean less complexity, which would mean less capability, along with other factors like sensory organs and "output" methods (fingers capable of fine motions, vocal chords capable of a range of sounds, bio-luminescence, etc).
When an organism dies, the consciousness is forced back out, or perhaps simply recedes, leaving dead matter, the shell of the being. Since the memories and personality are stored physically, I would assume that they are lost at death, though it could be possible that something would be transferred along with the receding consciousness.
So to finally address the point, the soul of an individual is just a part of a much larger entity that exists beyond us, but forms our own consciousness and the consciousness of all other living organisms.
I will not make any attempts to say that this idea is ironclad (It is anything but), but I find it an interesting thought experiment if nothing else. I would like to say that any debate over complex ideas, is good, anything that gets your brain working in a way that it normally wouldn't. However anyone who answers immediately and without serious thought is doing themselves and all of society a great disservice, you owe it to yourself to entertain the idea, even if it's just to get the gears moving, but who knows, you may have a revelation, that gives you new insight on the world.
Second, in this argument I assume that living matter is somehow different from inanimate matter.
Third, the English language is very poorly suited to this sort of discussion, so some words are not truly accurate, but are the best approximation that I can think of.
Fourth, though I will state that this is my opinion or that it is my belief, what follows is just an idea that I have tinkered with for a while, it just comes out better if I write it as a personal profession of belief rather than a statement of theory or fact.
Okay, so, it is my opinion that everything since the initial creation of the our known universe has occurred in its own time and by its own method, that is, without the willful intervention of any higher beings. Eventually, life formed, whether here first (I find that very unlikely) or elsewhere, matter elevated itself (or was elevated), from inanimate to animate. When this happened, or perhaps because it happened, extra-dimensional consciousness was able to permeate our physical dimension and (Again, I believe that this is not a willful act but a sort of natural order. Think water bleeding through tissue rather than fingers poking through.) become linked to the newly formed organisms.
Every living being is linked to this entity (or entities, but the concept of one vs many may not apply). This is what forms the "observer" part of our own consciousness, the part that sees through our eyes, hear through our ears, and so on, but is also able to "look" back through our memories and perhaps to deal with emotions. The observer is present in all living beings, but is restricted by the tools it is given, smaller brains would mean less complexity, which would mean less capability, along with other factors like sensory organs and "output" methods (fingers capable of fine motions, vocal chords capable of a range of sounds, bio-luminescence, etc).
When an organism dies, the consciousness is forced back out, or perhaps simply recedes, leaving dead matter, the shell of the being. Since the memories and personality are stored physically, I would assume that they are lost at death, though it could be possible that something would be transferred along with the receding consciousness.
So to finally address the point, the soul of an individual is just a part of a much larger entity that exists beyond us, but forms our own consciousness and the consciousness of all other living organisms.
I will not make any attempts to say that this idea is ironclad (It is anything but), but I find it an interesting thought experiment if nothing else. I would like to say that any debate over complex ideas, is good, anything that gets your brain working in a way that it normally wouldn't. However anyone who answers immediately and without serious thought is doing themselves and all of society a great disservice, you owe it to yourself to entertain the idea, even if it's just to get the gears moving, but who knows, you may have a revelation, that gives you new insight on the world.
but thats just it the concept of the soul is illogical because it deals with pure emotion (at least in my view) and emotions are some of the most illogical concepts in all of existence. they are the force that lets you love the one who betrayed you or hate the father you never knew.loc978 said:
but in all that illogical chaos the concept of a soul has meaning, and when all is said and done its all you have, when all the bullshit of this modern world is peeled away and you are left with nothing but the purest feelings known to the human heart and the cold ugly truth underneath it all reviled and you know without a shadow of a doubt just how meaningless human life is.
I like to think that the concept of the soul would keep you sane.
The discussion cannot start, until it is explained, what a soul is in the first place.
Since a clear definition has never been analyzed/agreed on/discovered, ever, by anyone, It is most likely, non existent. Therefore the shortest answer is:
We don't have them, since such a thing has never been proven to exist. Also the word has no actual meaning.
Since a clear definition has never been analyzed/agreed on/discovered, ever, by anyone, It is most likely, non existent. Therefore the shortest answer is:
We don't have them, since such a thing has never been proven to exist. Also the word has no actual meaning.
We are just animals at the core. No more. We do what we're programmed to. However, our intelligence and complex mental development kind of change our programming. We are individual and we have a personality, but we are still slaves to our hormones and mental programming.
Thank you. I was going to write some long, convoluted response to the OP but this serves as quite a good summation.Axeli said:
I generally don't tie "souls" to theism because a deity would be able to impart his/her/it's will and change the course of action, as that is how a deity is generally defined (omnipotent, omnipresent, all-knowing, all-seeing, can manifest in physical form, etc.) A soul, as I understand it, wouldn't be any more animate than, say, your spleen. I can argue against the existence of a deity based on inferred truths about the world, but I can't in regards to a soul. In thousands of years of life and death, humanity has provided no conclusive OR inconclusive evidence for a soul. We can't rule them out, but we can be PRETTY SURE they don't exist.
We can't conclude that Pink Invisible Unicorns don't exist, but I'm PRETTY SURE there aren't any.
to any who want a definition of the word "soul" in this context:
http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul (removed out of context definitions)
soul, noun \ˈsōl\
Definition of SOUL
1: the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life
3: a person's total self
.
glean from that what you will.
http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul (removed out of context definitions)
soul, noun \ˈsōl\
Definition of SOUL
1: the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life
3: a person's total self
.
glean from that what you will.
Assuming you're not a troll, have you ever thought about the metaphorical meaning of a soul, rather than just the literal?DutchAssassin8 said:So i have to do this essay on souls for my philosofy class, and i just wanted to hear some differtent views on the case.
I dont think we have souls and that were just animals, biological robots, doing what our brains tells us to do with the help of pheromones, hormones etc. I base this on 3 things:
1 There is no scientific proof suggesting we have souls
2 Almost everything we feel can be explained by chemicals in our head (and other parts). Even things such as love and affection.
3 I'm an atheist therefore i believe the excistance of souls would also open up a possibility for the excistance of deities.
What do you think + arguments for your opinion.
Have Fun!
(remember, this is a philosofical argument. No hating on other people for their believes etc)
Excuse me for my crappy English.
My view is that the soul is as real as any other concept. Like fate for example, it's just a matter of perspective.
I take the stance that the soul is merely information. If you pass on your knowledge to another, for example to your child. Then that person will have interacted with your soul, 'touched' in the figurative sense. In this way to be remembered is for the soul to 'live on'. If I live as an idealized version of myself, then every memory anyone would have of me or anything I did would all have at it's core a view of what it means to BE me.
If I helped a friend overcome and obstacle in their life, I would hope that whether I'm there or not, they would remember what I taught them, and use it. In this way my soul would live on.
For me this doesn't change how I live my life, if anything it encourages me to try the best I can to help myself and others, to strive have a positive effect on those around me. If I could teach everyone everything useful I knew, I would. The only thing is it's difficult to separate what I feel is useful and what is actually useful.
TLDR; In short, soul is just a word. Everyone has an their own idea on what it is, you can chose for yourself what you believe, because at the end of the day it's the same message. It's who you are, you should do your best to be "good", to yourself and to others. There's alot of room for interpretation.
There is no chance of a soul, a collection of atoms and molecules assembled together in a way cannot produce something "spiritual".
According to my stupid religion teacher-only humans that believe in the Catholic faith have souls and can go to an afterlife.
I think that we all have souls-animals included- that allow us a ghosty afterlife. Although I'm atheist....that's what I believe
Have you ever been around a dead body? It seems there is something missing... Also noetic sciences are trying to prove that humans have souls
I think that we all have souls-animals included- that allow us a ghosty afterlife. Although I'm atheist....that's what I believe
Have you ever been around a dead body? It seems there is something missing... Also noetic sciences are trying to prove that humans have souls
My friend is of a different religion and they believe that not only humans who believe in the exact same things have an afterlife. Also animals have souls as well...AceAngel said: