Do we have souls?

[SocialDude]

Really just a question of religion. People who believe in theoretical science or not. Matter = Energy. They are the same thing. Scientifically, any amount of matter can be broke into its energy coefficients and any amount of energy can be expressed as matter.

 

[T V]

If we do not have soul, then I do not see how we could be any different than the Siri app.

Also, in what religion is death something to be afraid of?

 

[SmokeHut]

I recently had a similar discussion with my girlfriend. She was curious as to my belief on life after death.

I put my faith in rational and realistic views, Based on a logical/sober thought.

People often make the mistake of believing that they are unique. However as for "personality" we're all very much alike. We share countless amounts of views and interests. Hence why it is so easy for "physics" to get a read on us.

I believe that you do not have a soul or any afterlife for it to travel to. This would be a pretty illogical view to have. Considering the amount of beings that have existed on the planet and lived/died of the past x amount of years. Would leave a hefty few souls mooching about.

There is one question that confuses me though, perhaps my brain just cannot fathom it. However, I'll try to explain it the best I can.

When we dream, our perception of time is shortened so 10 hours sleep may only feel like a few minutes, To a conscious brain. If you completely eliminate the brain, for example, being frozen. If frozen you're kept in the same state from when frozen, to unfrozen. I believe that because the brain is not functioning the perception of time would feel and be instant to yourself. Even over a prolonged period of a decade. So back to the point, when you die. You presumably are instantly perceiving an infinite amount of time. As I believe, there is nothing thereafter. You'd be looping an infinite instance which I cannot seem to understand my own belief.

If we do not have soul, then I do not see how we could be any different than the Siri app.

Also, in what religion is death something to be afraid of?

I would like to point out that the Siri app follows any orders like anything that is wrote in code. It follows a series of steps/orders to accomplish its task. if else, it reverts to fail safes and error codes. We as beings are able to make decisions, which automatically makes us completely different to any script.. It doesn't mean that we have to have a soul to make decisions there are many scientific proofs that would back me up on that.

 

[SuF]

If we do not have soul, then I do not see how we could be any different than the Siri app.

Also, in what religion is death something to be afraid of?

Because Siri is a programmed POS. It is entirely possible that one day our computers will become more intelligent than us and perhaps even conscious. We just have not understood the brain well enough to make it happen yet. So really we are no different than Siri other than we are much smarter and have different hardware, etc.

 

[PureSkrillex]

Given what you've said in the OP, it's possible that we could have souls as long as the condition of functionality of our brain is met.
However, it would be hard to distinguish the concept of a soul from the actual soul itself, and the real problem is that we can't possibly prove the existence of a soul because it is intangible by definition. Despite none of this being grounded in reason and logic, I don't believe we have a soul just from the fact that it is a futile effort to prove, and personally don't see the relevance of a soul beyond religious affiliation.

 

[T V]

Because Siri is a programmed POS. It is entirely possible that one day our computers will become more intelligent than us and perhaps even conscious. We just have not understood the brain well enough to make it happen yet. So really we are no different than Siri other than we are much smarter and have different hardware, etc.

So, we are not like Siri, but rather Siri is more like us, and may even surpass us some day, that is, once we have a better understanding our own "hardware"? Am I understanding you correctly?

 

[jefffrompowerbot]

gingers don't have souls.

 

[jaamal]

Honestly that is what it all comes down to, Ones own definition of a/the soul.

If a soul is simply matter is and can it be consciousness, could we be consciousness, perceptive, and retain a previous thought process with-out holding much matter. And how much matter would be a enough maybe a rock, a lump of coal? A species that just evolved enough to sustain it's own life in a colony like an ant.

And if it does, will the soul have the intelligence and means to choose where and how it lives. 4th dimension, 3rd dimension, Or just as any Neutral design that will accept and sustains ones life/energy.

Next we have to consider if the conscious soul and thought process even wants to be perceptive. And what does it want to perceptive of. Do you think a plant that can create colors that we can not even see will become exhausted of it's current use of thought process and become a color blind dog or human with less retina capabilities... (Stretch)

Or a human being that is tired of perceiving so much would subconsciously choose to be a rock that can maybe perceive and retain energy, but has no emotion aspect.

To take it even further we have to ask when life starts is it really brain function or the ability to control and manipulate energy which the brain process does to sustain life. Even further into religion do you think the first holders of this information would share it? And beyond that, could you plot your return to come back using the control of matter and time you have. Maybe further in a certain time or place after a civilization has evolved to improve you quality of living?If we as a soul can exist beyond a 1 psychical form could we write our genetic code on energy and plot our next journey. Our blood cells already replicate themselves.

Could we fail and maybe come back a computer with it's own thought process and be trapped. Could one create an animating perfect lifestyle with ones mind to which the lifestyle they choose to live?

This could even stem into a debate for animism...

Just my random thought process to fuel the fire, as I enjoyed reading most of your post.

 

[T V]

I'm not sure what your question is.

 

[Naxious]

I think we do have souls. Without Souls and brain We couldn't do anything. I just believe that we do

 

[BoneCrush]

I think we do have souls.

 

[DownShore]

this is a very hard question to answer.. I believe no tho

 

[Fracesoaq]

@roary,

Physics has proven that when we die an energy from our body is shot out upon death.

This article shows that there is a form of an afterlife.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ics-proves-IS-afterlife-claims-scientist.html

 

[Anet390]

I'm a huge believer that the universe is a battle of good and evil. This is 100% a belief but I think the only thing our soul carries is the mark of the good or the mark of the evil. Our brain gives us the opportunity to decide whether we want to live a good or evil life, and our soul carries the choices we made. I'm not saying it's heaven and hell, but I think our soul is reborn differently based on the life we lived on earth. I haven't really looked into philosophy much and have only scratched the surface of spiritual research. I watched a few of the "Spirit Science" episodes on YouTube and thought they were pretty cool, there was a long movie I watched that was made by the spirit science guy explaining Thoth, Emerald Tablets, Stairstep Evolution, Star of David, etc.

Ancient geomotry is a cool thing to research.

Also is anyone familiar with the channeling of a spirit used in United Nations meetings? I forgot the name.

 

[thesexylamp]

This is a great philosophical question. I actually happen to love philosophy, so here's my best attempt to answer your question without incorporating religion or bias.
The soul is independent of the brain: This is often a popular choice, with the greatest example being love. People would say that the soul is independent because you can love someone in a completely illogical scenario which would lead you to make rash or dumb decisions. For example: I fall in love with a woman who I know is cheating on me. However, because I'm so madly in love with her, I illogically choose to go with my soul and keep dating her, which only leads to further problems.
The soul is dependent of the brain: This is a less popular choice, seeing as people often use emotions to describe scenarios. However, this argument is just as logical as the first, seeing as the brain is a very complex part of our bodies that no one can ever understand fully. The brain actually generates feelings and emotions, rendering the conclusion that the soul is indeed based upon the brain. We think using our brains. We make actions and decisions based upon the brain. Our soul might not be attached to our bodies, but our brain? It's possible.
The soul does not exist: The final but least popular argument of the three is this one. This is the argument that very logical and emotionally numb people would often see as viable. This argument is about believing that our souls don't exist and that everything is based upon calculations, statistics and logic. Is this a bad thing to think? Of course not. We're all different as human beings and some of us believe that we don't have souls and we're just ordinary people making decisions through our brain and generating responses to our environment.

Please feel free to disagree with me! I believe there is no right or wrong answer to this question. As such, these are all just my opinions. Thanks for reading!

 

[Stickly]

I will answer OP without reading everything else, so just direct me to a post if there's something to say, but here goes..

I do not believe there is such a thing as a soul, just our mind.
A soul is something we created, the same as religion, to help us get through our lives. As I believe our souls were created with religion, I don't see any logic behind it.

Though I'm still not set in stone on that, because it's crazy how we all have a different conscience, I've sat down and just thought everyone has their own viewpoint. Now it seems stupid to be impressed by it, but I was a tad intoxicated. If anything, our soul is just our conscience.

 

[Swan]

Alright, bare with me...I'm going to try and explain my thought process before I dive into the question!

Who says a soul is something that can be explained through technology, thought processes, and knowledge we have today? It's natural for you to believe we don't have a soul because all your points are based on only what is known "today". Yes I know that's how we all make logical conclusions...based on "facts" and what is known today and not tomorrow....You know the run down sayings "They used to believe the earth was flat" or "The planets and stars revolve around the earth"...Those at the time were based on their truths through science. Of course today we laugh because we know the earth is pretty much a sphere...or is it ? I joke....anyway, that's my thought process on that.

The main reason why from a scientific perspective souls aren't believed to exist is because there is no evidence of their existence. The concept is not strictly IMPOSSIBLE, just improbable considering souls do not pertain to any measurable matter or energy change in state. Supposedly after we die our soul leaves our body, yet such a change in state between life and death has no particularly measurable consequences in terms of a soul. There is no reason to believe if there is no observable evidence to suggest existence.

In regards to a true scientific perspective, every viewpoint is subject to scrutiny and change. If there was an irrefutable test for the existence of a soul, and it was completely and entirely repeatable with similar results each time, then it would turn in to a cold, hard fact.

I'm a pretty open and abstract thinker pretty much on all fronts. I like to play devils advocate so here I go haha.

I believe the brain is in control of our physical self. A physical self one can see, feel and examine! However we exist in the forth dimension but only see three of them? Now I'm not saying souls exist in the forth dimension because time is that forth dimension. Its such an abstract thing to think about, but we know its there, its around us 24/7 (literally lol) yet to fathom its actual existence is mind boggling. As I'm typing this I'm trying to get a grasp on even just the thought of being able to see it. And honestly it kind of just scrambles my brain haha. That being said.........there are still many other dimensions THAT WE KNOW OF...and who knows probably others we don't

I think you've misconstrued what a dimension actually is. You don't APPARENTLY see time as your eyes are receptors of light. However we know that light has velocity. You see things from the light that enters your eyes, that originated from something a very short amount of time beforehand. So technically, while you don't experience time with your eyes per se, it is still very much perceivable if you alter your perception a little. Look in to the theory of relativity if you're interested.

I'm not really comprehending where this connects to having a soul, though. Are you suggesting a soul can exist in another dimensional plane or curve? So can we, actually. This reminds me of that Doctor Who episode "Go Left" where Donna goes right instead of left and creates an entirely separate timeline. Timelines are, I would dare theorise, curves in the fourth (possibly fifth) dimension, so our choices affect how we traverse these dimensions, just like how we can choose to walk forward or drive a car to traverse the first, second and third dimensions. Nevertheless, this is speculative at best (I'm not exactly a specialist in metaphysical phenomena) and still doesn't really connect to the concept of a soul.

Just because you cannot perceive it does not mean it isn't there!

Side note: I don't think of things in their traditional sense. When I think soul I do not immediately associate it with religion in anyway. A word is just a word and that's all that it is for me. I try not to get wrapped up in it.

As I mentioned earlier, you may not "see" something, but you can perceive it.

 

[cullmaan]

I have tried to learn a lot about this stuff. There is no way to see if there is a physical soul in the body. My understanding is that all matter when at it's smallest form is pure energy with barely any mass. The trillions upon trillions of atoms that My Body is completed with is also pure energy but at very dense and high vibrational rates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kwSO0NmtoM

 

[Sviesolaidis]

I don't really believe that we have souls.. really. No one saw that,it's just a myth and text proofs. I am 50/50 about that.

 

[KaysHD]

I do not believe that we have souls. I believe that our personalities, morals, etc are defined by many factors all playing an infinitesimally small role.

However, I enjoy playing devil's advocate. Therefore, I'd like to bring up an idea that has been written about several times. In "Flatland", by Edwin Abbott Abbott, the protagonist, a square is in a 2 dimensional world. Long story short, he is unable to grasp the concept of the 3rd dimension. Image not being able to detect the third dimension. Can you? Imagine not even knowing its existence. How would one discover it? As humans we constantly strive to gain a better understanding of the world around us and sometimes we simply are not at the stage of comprehension.

I will reiterate: The above is simply to provoke thought, not my personal opinion.