Do animals have souls?

[lostwanderingsoul]

The word in the Bible that is translated as "soul" can also mean creature or beast or animal. No animal or person HAS a soul. They ARE souls. Humans have a SPIRIT which animals do not.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

How do you KNOW this to the point where you state it with certainty? If I recall (though I may be thinking of someone else), you once identified as "agnostic" and now you seem to have adopted a religion that is just as dogmatic as Christianity.

Stop trolling. I'm just sharing my thoughts. I have no organized religion because my religion is individual, my understandings based on experience and study.

Also, that was years ago when I was unsure for a brief time. You really think that's fair to bring that up now? It's irrelevant.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

By "animating principle," I assume you mean something other than its metabolism.

Yes.

 

[ChristineM]

Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

What is a soul?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Yes.

So you've decided that something beyond metabolism "animates" living things?

 

[Eddi]

What is a soul?

I'd say it's the spirit which animates a biological entity and which is the basis of an entity's sentience

I believe the soul is immortal and that over time it may occupy the body of many different organisms

 

[Nakosis]

Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

Animals do, people don't. Humans lost their soul when they started to walk upright.
Adam and Eve walked on all four.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

So you've decided that something beyond metabolism "animates" living things?

I didn't decide anything. I'm not sure why stating you believe in the existence of the soul or spirit is considered controversial.

 

[George-ananda]

Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

I believe all animate (living) things have souls. In fact that is what makes them 'living'. Humans just have the most sophisticated non-physical aspect of the animal kingdom, that is all.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

as an animist, I find that EVERYTHING is/has a spirit. Probably more than one of them. To me, 'spirit' and 'soul' mean the same thing.

 

[sun rise]

Do animals have souls?

I think the first question would be, What is a soul?

The discussion so far has been binary: yes they do or no they don't. There is another possibility: that "souls" develop through various forms.

 

[stvdv]

Do animals have souls?

If humans do, then obviously yes.

If human doesn't then obviously yes
Animals behave so much better than certain humans

 

[ChristineM]

I'd say it's the spirit which animates a biological entity and which is the basis of an entity's sentience

I believe the soul is immortal and that over time it may occupy the body of many different organisms

Interesting, on no evidence you attribute life to this soul?

 

[stvdv]

I have been morally educated by dogs, cats and horses.

#Metoo

Humans lock themselves out of that with a stubborn and unnecessary delusion that animals are inferior beings. No wonder many of them don’t want to talk to us.

Hare Krishna (ISCON) had nice pictures to make you think twice on this issue

Species chauvinism. Just plain ignorant.

I loved Animal Farm.

 

[Spirit of Light]

The discussion so far has been binary: yes they do or no they don't. There is another possibility: that "souls" develop through various forms.

Yes that can be one way it develop too i would think

 

[stvdv]

No wonder many of them don’t want to talk to us.

Would you talk, knowing most humans eat animals?
I mean, I would also stay away from cannibals, especially around cooking time (and would not stay for meals either)

 

[Eddi]

Interesting, on no evidence you attribute life to this soul?

On what evidence do I believe this?

I don't know, that's just how I'm wired to think

Maybe you're wired differently to me

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Hare Krishna (ISCON) had nice pictures to make you think twice on this issue

Whenever I think about Lord Krishna, this picture comes to mind:

And I lose all train of thought.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

Allow me to play devil's advocate here....

Where in the animal do you see a soul? If, by definition if the soul is incorporeal how does one physical see it? Is it because of the animation and behavior of the observed creature?

 

[Erebus]

Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

I tend not to use the word "soul" that often myself but I can definitely say that many animals have personalities. To me, that's basically the same thing albeit without the connotations of immortality.

I also tend to wince a little when humans try to set themselves up as some form of superior life-form. Immortal souls being exclusive to humans is just one expression of that attitude.