Do animals have souls?

[Jainarayan]

Do animals have souls?

I believe they do. In fact, I believe they are a soul. One universal "soul" we are small parts of... सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma, "all this verily is Brahman" - Chāndogyopaniṣad 3.14.1.Brahman is the soul, the only thing that exists. Including bacteria, fungi, snakes, lizards, puppies, kittens, you, me, that thing over there. So yeah, I believe they have souls.

 

[The Hammer]

So does that mean, just asking, that you think the planet has some type of self awareness?

Having an "essential life force" (which I use as soul), does not automatically correlate to "self awareness".

Also by self awareness what exactly is it that you are referring to. There are many psychological facets to awareness of self.

 

[Nakosis]

Having an "essential life force" (which I use as soul), does not automatically correlate to "self awareness".

Also by self awareness what exactly is it that you are referring to. There are many psychological facets to awareness of self.

To have a concept of a self that we identify with. Some of it is physical, like this body is me. I have a name. I'm a dad, mother, wife, electrician etc... Stuff you feel it is essential for you to possess to be uniquely you.

What does essential life force consist of? Energy plus something else?

 

[QuestioningMind]

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?

Do you have any 'evidence' that this 'soul' exists, other that this 'feeling' you get when you look into someone's eyes?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

In the absence (so far) of any sensible definition of what a "soul" might actually be -- as if it is somehow a separate and definable part of one or more creatures' existences -- I will opt for no, animals don't have "souls." And as an animal myself, neither do I.

 

[icehorse]

Do animals have souls?

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

I just finished read "I am a Strange Loop". In the author's opinion souls occur on a continuum. So perhaps there are aliens with "bigger" souls than ours, and in his opinion, animals have souls to varying degrees less than humans. So a dolphin's soul is maybe almost as big as ours. And dog's souls are pretty big, but probably ant's souls are pretty tiny. And rocks have none.

That idea sort of rings true for me.

 

[MonkeyFire]

Spirits have souls. The human equivalent are our organs and anatomy.

 

[Shiranui117]

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?

Yes, everything that lives does. What animal, plant, etc. souls are like is another question that nobody really knows too much about.

 

[Katzpur]

As far as I'm concerned, there is no question about it: Animals have souls. Period. The End.

 

[sojourner]

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?

Everything has a spirit.

 

[sojourner]

Certainly, but they're not conscious of anything

How do we know? Is "consciousness" limited to "cognizance?" Or is there some spiritual soul-consciousness that exists in addition to what we would define as "consciousness?" I believe there is. I believe this planet is conscious.

 

[sojourner]

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?

I sense it with the "inner eye."

 

[sojourner]

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.

I think we are superior in some ways, although I don't think spirit is unique to humans. I think we've also abrogated much of the responsibility for the care of creation that we were given along with our superiority. But other spirits are superior to ours.

 

[sojourner]

I definitely opt toward number 2, the structures of the soul and consciousness are the qualities that the flesh of the organism are able to encase from straight out of the ether. The body is the container or net for those higher things that exist around them, free of being filtered through a body.

I tend to think that "spirit" is the part of us that is God that runs through all creation. It is part of us and helps to define us, both as part of the Oneness of creation, and as unique individuals.

 

[sojourner]

Supernatural explanations are only limited by one's imagination. Rocks, sure. Mountains, why not. Planets,... you've heard of Gaia haven't you?
Gaia - Wikipedia

In my belief, there are earth spirits (Santa Tierra) that are the "Divine Feminine," and mountain spirits (Apus) that are the Divine Masculine.

 

[sojourner]

Doesn't this beg the question? Does ANYTHING have a soul? How would you prove it?

Does it need to be proven?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Does it need to be proven?

I don't know if it needs to be "proven," but at least I think we should know what the heck it actually MEANS.

Here's a question: if I have a soul, and I die, will that soul remember all the lines of Shakespeare that I know now (and trust me, it's a lot)? I mean, it is very clear that all of that is bound up in the neurons of my brain, and when those neurons begin to turn to jelly a few minutes after my heart stops providing them oxygen, where will my "soul" go to find all that?

Here's a most fundamental question: what part of you, exactly, is "the soul" that survives the destruction of all the rest of you? And where did it go the last time you had surgery?

 

[Nakosis]

In my belief, there are earth spirits (Santa Tierra) that are the "Divine Feminine," and mountain spirits (Apus) that are the Divine Masculine.

I'm fine with that, but...

We can invest into any belief we choose. Pick one, pick another, whatever you feel comfortable with. I tried druidry for a bit and there is a very visceral experience to be had with nature spirits.

Some beliefs are ecceletic. I thinks these beliefs had an origin. Accepting a established belief or originating a belief, does it matter?

Create a name for God or spirits. Spiritual lore, hierarchy of spiritual beings. Someone had to create/develop the belief. Why not you?

 

[sojourner]

I don't know if it needs to be "proven," but at least I think we should know what the heck it actually MEANS.

Here's a question: if I have a soul, and I die, will that soul remember all the lines of Shakespeare that I know now (and trust me, it's a lot)? I mean, it is very clear that all of that is bound up in the neurons of my brain, and when those neurons begin to turn to jelly a few minutes after my heart stops providing them oxygen, where will my "soul" go to find all that?

Here's a most fundamental question: what part of you, exactly, is "the soul" that survives the destruction of all the rest of you? And where did it go the last time you had surgery?

Who can plumb the depths of what it means to be human, to be alive, to be Divine in nature, to be part of a greater whole? Meaning is, by its nature, larger than we are.

 

[sojourner]

I'm fine with that, but...

We can invest into any belief we choose. Pick one, pick another, whatever you feel comfortable with. I tried druidry for a bit and there is a very visceral experience to be had with nature spirits.

Some beliefs are ecceletic. I thinks these beliefs had an origin. Accepting a established belief or originating a belief, does it matter?

Create a name for God or spirits. Spiritual lore, hierarchy of spiritual beings. Someone had to create/develop the belief. Why not you?

I didn't develop the belief. I came to an existent belief system.