The human soul - it's time to get to the bottom of this

[Romeo83x]

The human soul. What is it ? How do we get it ? For the purpose of this thread, I define human soul as something that transcends the earthly body. A higher function. Something that possibly is not limited. Something that possibly can "live" on after death.

So let's start with the basics and try to narrow it down to as specific as possible. Just answer the questions the best you can.

#1 Does every living thing have a soul ? Only humans ? Maybe other animals as well ? How about plants ? Maybe insects ? What about mushrooms as they're sort of neither animal nor plant, do mushrooms have souls ?

#2 At which point is a soul created ? In example of humans. Does an adult male have a soul ? Does a teenager have a soul ? Does a freshborn baby have a soul ? Does a fetus inside the mother's womb have a soul ? Does an inseminated egg cell have a soul ? Does a sperm have a soul ? What if the sperm is still inside the father's balls but hasn't gone out yet, does it have a soul ?

That covers who has a soul and when it is created. Once we can narrow it down we can proceed with more interesting stuff.

[Spectral]

For the purpose of this thread, I define human soul as something that transcends the earthly body. A higher function. Something that possibly is not limited. Something that possibly can "live" on after death.

There's not a shred of evidence for this magic substance.

[Romeo83x]

There's not a shred of evidence for this magic substance.

That's true, but in order to look for it, we have to first define it as precisely as possible.

[Sevyvia]

You're going on the assumption that there is such a thing as a soul. That's -quite- the assumption. No one has a soul, you just believe what you want to believe.

[Romeo83x]

You're going on the assumption that there is such a thing as a soul. That's -quite- the assumption. No one has a soul, you just believe what you want to believe.

Assumptions can be proven to be wrong and I'm fine with that, but you still have to go through the due process.

[Ferg]

That's -quite- the assumption. No one has a soul,

THAT'S quite the assumption.

[Spectral]

That's true, but in order to look for it, we have to first define it as precisely as possible.

I'm not clear what your point is. No one in this thread will be able to produce evidence for the ensoulment of any creatures, no matter how precisely you define it.

[Sevyvia]

THAT'S quite the assumption.

No, it's based on the fact that there is absolutely no proof of anything like a soul, and plenty against it. Swing and a miss, friend.

[Romeo83x]

I'm not clear what your point is. No one in this thread will be able to produce evidence for the ensoulment of any creatures, no matter how precisely you define it.

I'm just trying to clarify what people believe is a soul. If you don't believe in souls, then you don't have to answer the questionnaire.

[Adam Jensen]

The human soul is a construct of our minds. It does not truly exist, but it could be said that it is the heart of our personal culture. But I'm using it in more of a metaphorical sense than anything else.

[Spectral]

I'm just trying to clarify what people believe is a soul. If you don't believe in souls, then you don't have to answer the questionnaire.

Right, and I didn't. I pointed out that the thread will be entirely evidence free. That's fine, people can conjecture about whatever they like, but if you think you're going to arrive at sound conclusions, you're mistaken.

[Aphrel]

<snip>

this episode was very intresting and is somewhat relevant to this subject. What makes us who we are?

Warning: Please, do not link to torrent or streaming sites. To do so is against site rules.

[schwarzkopf]

There's not a shred of evidence for this magic substance.

Not everything in this world that is real is material.

Love, hate, enjoyment, disappointment etc...

[Albert the fish]

scientists have been working on this for years. maybe longer.
the problem, well one of them. is exactly what you postulate.

we have to first define a soul, and that's a very hazy subject as people think of them in different terms.

in the most basic terms i suppose we'd have to call a soul "an identifiable part of a living being that is unique and discreet from the physical body"
but that's still a pretty limited definition and begins to bring up the point of it being a non-physical existence and how can we physically measure and identify a nonphysical existence.

science is still way too young to fully tackle the issue, if it ever can. perhaps the ethereal nature of a spirit or soul renders it impossible to be grasped by science and yet still exists.


simply put, there are too many variables and most of them are still untouchable by science.
major bummer.
or maybe it's simple fantasy and we can't tell because of that.

[Jokerfiend]

Well, everything has a "light" in the eyes. If you have ever killed something up close and personal. You have seen the light go out.

Personally, I wish it would be something more. Logically, It's just your brain going inactive. I have the saying, No matter how much I want magic to be real. It isn't. So, I want the light to be something more. I just know, and I really don't like to admit it, it isn't something more.

This is sort of a parallel to me as well, it's like the Universe for example. I believe in a God, just not the biblical one, because how can we even exist? The fact we are even here is illogical. The Universe shouldn't exist. So the it's like the age old question. If God exists, who created God? Or re-translate that into, The Universe exists, what created the Universe?

It's all very awesome and scary.

[Deleted]

there is absolutely no indication that what you define as soul exists,and it's kinda hard to prove the inexistence of something if zero indications of existence are somehow not enough. it's the typical case where a religious person(of any religion) asks an atheist to prove that god doesn't exist,what did you expect some scientific experiment that proves the case?

ps:let me reverse our positions,prove to me that Zeus or Ra or Odin do not exist(the zero indication of existence arguement is null since you don't accept it)

[Deleted]

I want to fly and burst energy beams from my handpalms and beat up bad guys! Like Goku.

[Spectral]

Not everything in this world that is real is material.

Love, hate, enjoyment, disappointment etc...

If you're suggesting that the soul is equivalent to an emotion, then it's quite true that it ceases to exist the moment that electrical activity in the brain ceases.

This is not the concept of a soul that almost anyone refers to, in practice. If you effectively define a soul out of relevance, I'm fine with that, I guess, but I don't think it satisfies people looking for the supernatural.

[Dendrek]

Unless the soul (assuming it exists) is a construct of particles or matter, or unless it exerts some kind of observable effect on particles or matter, it is beyond the current level of science to even begin to study it. If it and its effects are unobservable, then it is also unprovable. And if it's unobservable, then it's also undefinable. At best, you can make grand and unsubstantiated assumptions about it. To assume it exists, then, is an appeal to ignorance. "If it can't be disproven, then we have to assume it might exist."

[Teronite]

Not everything in this world that is real is material.

Love, hate, enjoyment, disappointment etc...

Love, hate, enjoyment, disappointment is chemicals being flushed into our brain creating "feelings", that will make us react a way that based on all our previous experiences and how our brain is wired is appropriate.