What is a Soul?

[MSizer]

I grew up Catholic, and they spoke of the soul all the time. But never could my teacher, parents or anyone that I could think of explain what the heck the alleged "soul" is. I remember specifically asking when I was a kid and never getting an answer that made any sense at all. I am firmly convinced that the story of the soul is no different than the story of Creation. Biology and paleontolgy and various other disciplines exposed how the creation story was just a myth to explain what people had no better explanation for, and neurology will do the same to the concept of the soul. Of course there are many who won't agree, so if you don't, can you support your stance on the existence of the soul somehow? (Oh, and please supply some evidence for your claim!)

Thanks,
Mike.

 

[Baydwin]

I don't believe in a supernatural soul. I've always thought the closest thing to a soul would be ones own uniqueness, even if we were cloned physically and mentally, the duplicate would be as unique an individual as the original, despite being identical in every way.

 

[Caladan]

Beyond a traditional theological idea of soul as an eternal self which is on a battle ground of a cosmic scale and which is faced by eternal destiniy in places such as heaven or hell. I believe a soul is a concept that embodies various qualities of the human animal. our pleasure in art and music for example. our emotional interaction with the world around us and to other living beings. in this regard a 'soul' is a way to relate to our inner personality, the things that make us tick as individuals, the traits which characterize us, the deep links we have to life.

 

[VeganCrustAtheist]

I don't believe in any kind of spiritual soul. But I interpret the idea of the soul as an expression of your consciousness. In the sense that someone will say "I hate my body". The "I" in that sense is the soul. It's the personality, it's your thoughts and your "you".

 

[Storm]

My understanding of the word is some sort of supernatural seat of the personality.

 

[MSizer]

My understanding of the word is some sort of supernatural seat of the personality.

Thanks for the tidbit. Even though it's a bit vague, it's more than I've ever heard before.

I agree with the posts pretty much so far. I was hoping for someone who actually really believes they exist to give me some support for their belief. 8^(

 

[Guitar's Cry]

To me, the soul is your individual and unique experience of existence.

 

[gzusfrk]

To me its what is left over after the flesh is gone, or what there is besides the flesh.

 

[MSizer]

To me its what is left over after the flesh is gone, or what there is besides the flesh.

Which is? What exists "besides the flesh"?

 

[gzusfrk]

Which is? What exists "besides the flesh"?

some say nothing exist except flesh, , My answer is only my opinion that if you take away the flesh what is left is the soul.

 

[MSizer]

some say nothing exist except flesh, , My answer is only my opinion that if you take away the flesh what is left is the soul.

Ok. I don't know how anything can be left, but ok.

I see life as an action. When you finish throwing the ball, the throw is gone. It simply ceases to exist. It was the action of the flesh, and now it no longer exists. I think all aspects of living are just like that.

 

[VeganCrustAtheist]

some say nothing exist except flesh, , My answer is only my opinion that if you take away the flesh what is left is the soul.

You will have to go into greater detail. Humans are organic beings, nothing more.
If you take away the flesh ( I interpret that as our bodies) you have nothing left. If the soul is what is left after you remove the flesh, then it's a lack of substance, a vacuum. In that sense the soul doesn't exist, it's just an abstinence of anything.

I think you mean that the soul is the "I", but if you don't say it, I'll be forced interpret it as I just did.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

My understanding of the word is some sort of supernatural seat of the personality.

Mine, too... which is why I reject the idea that souls exist.

I've seen people's personalities utterly changed by physical causes to the point where I couldn't rightly say that it was the same person any more. Based on all the things I've witnessed personally and read about, every aspect of what makes me "me", including my memory, behaviour, attitude, and everything else, is mutable by physical causes like drugs, disease, and injury. It's all physical. There's nothing left to be supernatural. Nothing that I'd say was "me", anyhow.

 

[Storm]

Thanks for the tidbit. Even though it's a bit vague, it's more than I've ever heard before.

How is it vague?

 

[Beyondo]

I grew up Catholic, and they spoke of the soul all the time. But never could my teacher, parents or anyone that I could think of explain what the heck the alleged "soul" is. I remember specifically asking when I was a kid and never getting an answer that made any sense at all. I am firmly convinced that the story of the soul is no different than the story of Creation. Biology and paleontolgy and various other disciplines exposed how the creation story was just a myth to explain what people had no better explanation for, and neurology will do the same to the concept of the soul. Of course there are many who won't agree, so if you don't, can you support your stance on the existence of the soul somehow? (Oh, and please supply some evidence for your claim!)

Thanks,
Mike.

What if aliens landed on earth and through the use of nan-technology monitored all life inclusive of neuron signalling! The aliens store all this information in an archive and what we believe to be an experience of the supernatural is in reality the synchronization of information between our brains and the alien's database. So my bet is the soul is actually an archive of the human mind in an alien's database.:fsm:

And so they shall raise the dead! :angel2:

 

[Charity]

I think of a soul as part of your "inner being" part of your personality. It lives within you. Sort of like Id, ego and superego. The id present from birth, ego the reality principle, but mostly the superego which is the component of personality which holds our moral standards that we get from family, society and lets us know right from wrong. If your satisfied with your choices then like the old song goes all is well with my soul......Upon the event of death the soul is suppose to leave the body, since no one can tell you after this only by experience I guess it would be difficult to answer that question.....
Probably a good question to ponder does the soul die or does it go to another level?
That would just depend on how one chooses to believe. I'm sure I make choices from my heart that doesn't always agree with my soul...... Maybe I got someone elses soul when I was born, wonder if souls are recycled? Maybe they just hang suspended in space and time.......

 

[VeganCrustAtheist]

I think of a soul as part of your "inner being" part of your personality. It lives within you. Sort of like Id, ego and superego. The id present from birth, ego the reality principle, but mostly the superego which is the component of personality which holds our moral standards that we get from family, society and lets us know right from wrong. If your satisfied with your choices then like the old song goes all is well with my soul......Upon the event of death the soul is suppose to leave the body, since no one can tell you after this only by experience I guess it would be difficult to answer that question.....
Probably a good question to ponder does the soul die or does it go to another level?
That would just depend on how one chooses to believe. I'm sure I make choices from my heart that doesn't always agree with my soul...... Maybe I got someone elses soul when I was born, wonder if souls are recycled? Maybe they just hang suspended in space and time.......

Or the soul is just an expression for self awareness and our personality. You know, "I think therefore I am". All that good stuff.

 

[gzusfrk]

You will have to go into greater detail. Humans are organic beings, nothing more.
If you take away the flesh ( I interpret that as our bodies) you have nothing left. If the soul is what is left after you remove the flesh, then it's a lack of substance, a vacuum. In that sense the soul doesn't exist, it's just an abstinence of anything.

I think you mean that the soul is the "I", but if you don't say it, I'll be forced interpret it as I just did.

Yes I think I would work.

 

[VeganCrustAtheist]

Yes I think I would work.

Awesome! First time I've had a Christian on my side. That doesn't happen often when I'm on the internet. cheers!

 

[Walkntune]

I believe the soul is your mind ,will, and emotions and is a gateway between your spirit and your flesh.
Sometimes when you are tired and run down and can't go on , there is a part of you that doesn't give up and will keep going and this battle is fought in your soul.Your spirit wants to keep going even when your mind is telling you to give up.Your spirit is the part of you when you go watch a rocky movie and after you get charged up and feel like you can take on the world.People do get charged up with a real source of energy even to the extent of passing out atBeatles concerts and Elvis Presley concerts and celebrities etc...