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The question of the Soul is one that polarizes opinion within this Site. Many vehemently deny the possibility of its existence, others think its reality is a forgone conclusion. Where do you stand on this issue?

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  • 6 votes
rcandlish 7 June 21
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11 comments

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0

what is your definition of soul? If it is supernatural, cannot be proven, then no...

0

I don't care either way 🙂

ipdg77 Level 8 June 22, 2018
0

I see no reason to think I have a soul. We live, die then are gone.

0

I think belief in a soul that survives after our death is in the sane thought realm as religion, god and all of the other stuff we don't believe in. We aren't special. We have a body, From that comes consciousness, emotion, breathing and all of the other things we are. Including the capacity to think we have a soul. When we're dead, we're dead. Soul too.

2

First of all,I am torn between atheist and agnostic (because of my upbringing) but I think humans do have souls. Definitely not the biblical souls but I believe that everything that we are exists inside said soul. We can dream and write and create and think and imagine, etc. All of these are what make us human. All of these are the soul.

All of these are what we're capable of as humans. Uniquely, so far, and so far as we know. However ... unique <> soul. Or if you want to call it something, perhaps a word less freighted with religious baggage. Human-ness or humanity or self awareness or sentience maybe?

0

I voted I don't know because I can't know.
BUT... I also don't believe humans have souls.

Sam Harris has a good take on the subject I think.

3

@EdWilson is correct, it depends on the definition. But in general, "soul" is understood to mean some aspect of selfhood that can be discarnate after death in some way. There is no evidence in favor of that, and quite a bit not in favor of it.

2

Without a cogent definition of the soul, this is hard to answer. If the soul simply refers to our sentience or consciousness, then of course we all have one. But most people who believe in souls think they are independent of the body and immortal. Despite widespread claims about ghosts, reincarnation, communication with the dead, and so forth, the evidence for these things is far from compelling. And what, exactly, does it mean to say a soul persists after death? What persists? Our memories? Unlikely, since memories are clearly stored in brain. Wouldn't they dissipate upon death? Or maybe what persists is our consciousness, the sentient self, stripped of memories. Again, this is dubious in light of modern neuroscience. And what is the self without memories? (See Locke.) Most people profess a belief in the soul, but hardly anyone can offer a reasonable explanation of what that means.

Lalo Level 5 June 21, 2018
1

No soul included no god needed. There has never been proof of a soul. If the soul is made of undetectable substance than it's as good to me as nonexistent. People's minds and personalities change due to chemical alterations and brain damage, leading to the conclusion that the essence of a person's mind is a result of physical processes. Most people that believe in souls believe only humans have a soul and not any other species. Yet they think everything was placed here by god and they know they are a living thing. I just don't understand their logic.

3

I reject the idea of an immortal soul. We all have out own uniqueness but I don't think of it as a soul. What makes me ME will die with me.

3

I don't know. What is a soul?

I don't know either. What is a soul? I don't even know what I am, much less if I have a soul. It's obvious one has a body and the body has a mind. But, what is it that makes me? There's a jumble of neurons interconnected by dendrites, axons and synapse. I've seen pictures. But, what is it that uses all those things to make me?

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