Poll: Does a Planet have a Soul?

[happysock]

I would like it if there was one, but realistically I would say no.

 

[Dr. Gorgenflex]

Planets have just as much of a soul as everything else, so no they don't have souls.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Does some unliving thing that has living things on it possess a soul? No. Otherwise my toilet has a really crappy existence.

 

[zauxz]

You shouldn't be on the internet, then. If you have the resources to connect to the internet and spend time talking about how meaningless modern life is, you probably have the resources to move to a dirt poor "spiritualistic" society. You'd probably die of a treatable illness rather quickly, but still... At least you'd be surrounded by superstitious people when you pass.

OK, quick question. What the hell is your problem? why are my beliefs so offencive to you?

If you can live paycheck to paycheck and still find meaning, then I envy you. Just remember your lines "I am happy" and "I am free"

 

[David Bray]

This question does not consider the fact that nothing has a soul.

I'd hardly call that a fact.

Haha. Oh my god, i sound like a total douche don't i? No. I meant possibility. Jees. I myself believe in them. I just think it should be on the poll.
Gees

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

This question does not consider the fact that nothing has a soul.

I'd hardly call that a fact.

Haha. Oh my god, i sound like a total douche don't ? No. I meant possibility. Jees. I myself believe in them. I just think it should be on the poll.
Gees

what should be on the poll; "the possibility" of it?

 

[cuddly_tomato]

You shouldn't be on the internet, then. If you have the resources to connect to the internet and spend time talking about how meaningless modern life is, you probably have the resources to move to a dirt poor "spiritualistic" society. You'd probably die of a treatable illness rather quickly, but still... At least you'd be surrounded by superstitious people when you pass.

OK, quick question. What the hell is your problem?

He is an internet troll, and you just fell for it. This forum has an ignore function; use it.

why are my beliefs so offencive to you?

Because they are different than his, and he can't handle that.

It looks like a simple question, but if you ask someone about this he/she would look at you either as a madman/woman or think it's stupid, but then thinking only that the center of a planet is made of Nikel and Iron (mainly) is rather coldly logical and lacks this unexplainable thingy no?

imho: i won't answer neither yes or no.

Just a query, are you talking about a spiritual form of Gaia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis] here, or are you talking about a soul of the earth that is unconnected to the life that lives upon it?

 

[David Bray]

This question does not consider the fact that nothing has a soul.

I'd hardly call that a fact.

Haha. Oh my god, i sound like a total douche don't ? No. I meant possibility. Jees. I myself believe in them. I just think it should be on the poll.
Gees

what should be on the poll; "the possibility" of it?

Yes
No
Souls don't exist

 

[Dexiro]

OK, quick question. What the hell is your problem? why are my beliefs so offencive to you?

If you can live paycheck to paycheck and still find meaning, then I envy you. Just remember your lines "I am happy" and "I am free"

You seem to have it in for modern life. Spiritualism makes life no more meaningful than science.
I'd agree that spiritualism makes life a bit more interesting but that's it.

You can live a meaningful life going from paycheck to paycheck just like you could going from farm to farm or whatever spiritualism has you do. If you want a meaning to life then it's to have fun, that can be fulfilled with either lifestyle.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

OK, quick question. What the hell is your problem? why are my beliefs so offencive to you?

If you can live paycheck to paycheck and still find meaning, then I envy you. Just remember your lines "I am happy" and "I am free"

I'm sorry but what? You stated that you'd rather live your life in a simple but spiritualistic way rather than in a advanced but so called "meaningless" society and yet you get all annoyed when people point out to you that you're using the fruits this "meaningless" society has given humanity? That's hypocritical to the highest degree.

 

[SnipErlite]

*Remembers a city being alive thing from an amusing Discworld book* depends on your definition of alive and soul and whatnot I suppose

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

It looks like a simple question, but if you ask someone about this he/she would look at you either as a madman/woman or think it's stupid, but then thinking only that the center of a planet is made of Nikel and Iron (mainly) is rather coldly logical and lacks this unexplainable thingy no?

imho: i won't answer neither yes or no.

Just a query, are you talking about a spiritual form of Gaia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis] here, or are you talking about a soul of the earth that is unconnected to the life that lives upon it?[/quote]

it's free for you to choose which option you want.

 

[Piecewise]

I think that this is one of the questions that don't need to be answered. I'm not saying that it doesn't, I'm not saying that it does. I'm saying that noone knows, and it's meant to be that way.

Every question needs to be answered, that's the force behind progress. Knowledge.
Well, except the meaning of life. That would just screw with our heads.

Progress isn't always needed.

Oh, yes it is.
Stagnation is the worst that could happen to our society.

I'd rather live in a simple but spiritualistic, than in an advanced, but meaningles society.

Translation:
I'd rather keep lying to myself then have to deal with potential hardship[

quote="lasherman" post="18.180871.5325761"]

First, define and prove that souls even exist before we speculate what has them.

someone said that you lose weight when you die... i don't remember how much though...

I heard about that. Apparently, some doctors weighed people with extremely sensitive equipment right before and right after they died, and they were always left with a difference of about 21 grams, so they concluded it must be a 'soul'. I don't know if it really was the soul or not, but until we have a better explanation it'll have to do.[/quote]

It wasn't ever very well done and his methods were far from scientific. Besides 21 grams could be anything from the air in your lungs to what escapes after your bowels relax.

Incidentally these books are highly entertaining and very relevant to this conversation

http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393324826/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

http://www.amazon.com/Spook-Science-Afterlife-Mary-Roach/dp/0393329127/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_3

In the end though none of us know for sure either way.

 

[Xanadeas]

No. A planet isn't alive, it's something that formed from debris and dust. It's not a living organism. But in a sorta metaphorical sense you could say a planet is alive in that it's got plants and animals and movement.

 

[Abedeus]

If by soul you mean a religious soul, then no.

If by soul you mean "spirit", as in "will, willpower, force of heart"... then no, since there's no other planet to compare with. Unless you compare to our Sol System's planets, then yes.

But I don't think that's the kind of soul you are talking about. I don't treat "soul" as "spirit".

No. A planet isn't alive, it's something that formed from debris and dust. It's not a living organism. But in a sorta metaphorical sense you could say a planet is alive in that it's got plants and animals and movement.

From the last (104) chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist:

"Have any of you considered this planet as a single life-form? Or perhaps a single would be more accurate?"

In theory, the planet is a living system. It has bacteria (people, animals), lungs (plants - exhale and inhale gases and power it and the bacteria), brain (core), even stomach of some sort (Earth's soil), bladder (oceans). It's just immobile... okay, it's mobile, but not by itself.

 

[Platinum117]

Well, technically, a planet isn't alive, so I doubt it. It's covered in crawling, growing, walking living things, but so is my bathtub and IT doesn't have a soul.

HOW DO YOU KNOW? HOW CAN YOU REALLY KNOW?

 

[dark-amon]

Well a planet isn't a reflective being, or even a living being. It's surface may consist of living growth and beings, but not the planet itself. So no seems to be the rational answer.
And if you need more, isn't the term 'soul' a little old fashioned?
When I refer to the soul I could just as well use the term 'mind'. I think the major differnece is that one is stongest in religion, while the other is strongest in psycology.

 

[zauxz]

OK, quick question. What the hell is your problem? why are my beliefs so offencive to you?

If you can live paycheck to paycheck and still find meaning, then I envy you. Just remember your lines "I am happy" and "I am free"

I'm sorry but what? You stated that you'd rather live your life in a simple but spiritualistic way rather than in a advanced but so called "meaningless" society and yet you get all annoyed when people point out to you that you're using the fruits this "meaningless" society has given humanity? That's hypocritical to the highest degree.

OK let me simplify what I meant. My beliefs: Spiritualism > materealism. Got it now?

I dont think that technology and progress are bad. I think that they shouldn't influence our beliefs or be the most important things in the world. Why do you have to take everything so literally?