[size=150]The Soul[/size]
Does it exist? Do you have one?
How do you know that?
Jeez, xanderman,
How about some definitions to narrow this down a bit? If you can tell me what a soul is and it’s characteristics then maybe I’ll be able to discover if I have one. I occasionally eat soul food and listen to soul music, does that count?
JT
Soul = the hyper inflation of the imagination so I “know” I got one because I got “imagination” you see which allows my poor dry little soul to walk on water. I think I’ll try making it into a song!
JT,
I guess sometimes if you cast a very broad net, then everything just swims through it.
How about a soul as in an immortal metaphysical core?
This having nothing to do with diet, any particular type of music, rhythmic ability or the aptitude for performing any kind of music.
Xander
This question has been asked…who knows how many times! Eventually the human race will arrive at that epoch - if they “arrive” at all, in which EVERYONE will SIMULTANEOUSLY, that is, INSTINCTIVELY understand the futility of such a question. It too requires “understanding” and if or when that happens, it’s endless iteration will be quashed! WHAT would they know, once and for all, that would “obviate” the inquiry? They would know certainly that “philosophy” does not deal in PROOFS - a proposition we are certain of already and that science is never, can never be qualified to offer one. IF there are any other possiblities, when, I wonder, will THAT appear to make the question decisively disappear!
As Tentative asked “how about some definitions…”, but to me, you’ve already DEFINED it by your question which asks for proof. In questions like this, it is BELIEF and not any implied function of proof that operates. Maybe this is what you meant.
i think we don’t have a soul. and what difference wold it make if we did have one?
Hi Xander,
Apologies for the SA post. I’m sober now (barely).
An immortal metaphysical soul. I find nothing compelling to suggest that I/ME has any existence beyond this one. If I were Bhuddist it would be different. I will remain firmly entrenched in my agnosticism to the very end - or was that the beginning? I always forget. 
JT
To those who think they have no soul:
Would you sell it?
What would be a fair price for this non-existent soul?
I didn’t exactly ask for proof.
I asked “How do you know that?” That is a question that can be addressed with proof, or it can be addressed in other ways.
Humans exist as three parts: Body, Soul (Mind), and Spirit. The soul is that part of a person that is the person, and it’s influenced by the body and the spirit. Depending on which two of these is given primacy in a person’s life, that person (soul) will be either carnal or spiritual - more or less. I would say that in our hedonistic society of “if it feels good do it,” most people are carnal.
70 times 7
So would you say that most people live in ignorance of one-third of their being?
If you equate soul with mind, then would a brilliant person have a better soul? Likewise does the person with Down’s Syndrome have a lesser soul?
Would you advocate that all earthly pleasure should be avoiding? Does such an ascetic rejection of life make the person more spiritual?
The soul is often called the mind. I’m not talking about the brain. I’m talking about the person - the sum of the parts. Obviously someone can be controlled by the Spirit without denying physical pleasure, but to be controlled by the flesh does often lead to the exclusion of the spiritual because it’s appetites are damn near insatiable and being constantly fed in our natural world.
70 times 7,
How does the issue of carnal vs spiritual either sustain or deny the question of the presence of something called a ‘soul’? I’m not sure that following carnal desires negates that which we would call soul, and it seem’s that some of the most ‘spiritual’ people are bereft of soul.
JT
In terms I defined, the soul exists. I don’t know how much more plain to make it. Again: Your soul is your essence. It is the you of you. The flesh and the spirit influence the soul and determine your character. If you feed the flesh and it’s desires to the detriment of the spirit, your soul will be, consequently, more carnal. By extention, you’ll be a carnal person. If you temper the fleshly desires and choose to focus on spiritual pursuits, your character will be duly affected.
70 times 7,
I understand your definitions, and how in a triad (body-mind-spirit) the interplay of the three could affect each other, but you still haven’t provided a clue as to the way you arrived at the conclusion that mind=soul. You’ve also introduced the term “spirit” with out any definition as if we know exactly what you’re talking about. Unless you’re making apriori assumptions about something called soul and spirit, a bit of clarification would be in order.
JT
This emotive word, soul, means so many different things to different people that it’s everyday use is almost counter-productive. Likewise spirit and various other ideas. Definitions are therefore, indeed, required before discussing the matter (or non-matter, depending on how you view it! ).
I have always regarded the soul as those aspects of the you, if any, that survive the death of the physical body. This leaves the way open for spirit to be that inner core of your being which motivates all your actions. Some would undoubtedly interchange the two; others would intermix them.
This also removes such questions as ‘Does the soul survive the death of the body?’ by rendering them meaningless. The question now becomes ‘Does any aspect of the you survive the death of the body’.
There is certainly some evidence that at least a record of your experiences and emotions continue to exist after your death. This comes in the form of hypnotic regression. This, unfortunately, is a subject, like so many others, which frequently produces an immediate reaction of either ‘Oh, that’s nonsense’ or ‘I believe every word’.
Let us, for a moment, assume that under hypnosis people can recount details of other lives which they could not possibly have known about, and are, or have subsequently been proved, correct. This does not, however, in any way prove that re-incarnation is a fact as is assumed by most of the ‘I believe every word’ brigade. What it would prove is that somewhere a record of the events and emotions of another life are in existence and that record is ‘available for interrogation’. There is, of course, the rather more ‘esoteric’ explanation that time, as we perceive it, doesn’t exist and that we are merely tuning in to another event as it occurs.
I personally believe the case for hypnotic regression to be almost proven and it is a fact. (If anything is a fact!)
So, ‘Does the soul exist?’ Using my definition, I believe it does.
‘Do you have one?’ I think we all do.
‘How do you know that?’ I don’t. I believe it.
Now whether a ‘tape recording’ of anothers life and emotions is sufficient to call it a soul and whether more of the active mind survives are matters for further contemplation.
If you mean do I have smoething that makes me, me, as opposed to you or something else than Yes I have a soul.
If you mean do I have some quality that came from somewhere before I was born or is going somewhere after I die, no I do not have a soul.
It is interesting that the Greek word Psyche was translated as soul
Actually, and I may be wrong, but I know that quote as being “Mind, Body and Soul” which may answer some of Xanderman’s questions about if that means mind and soul corelate…which, I believe they dont…at all…actually they are like the ying and yang in a way (in my opinion). Like if you feel a certain thing/way, but your telling yourself in your head ‘nah,nah…I can/t or should/not do that because…’ but the feeling is just so overwhelming i.e it feels right/wrong, it’s like two totally different components struggling with each other within you…
But to ask what is (a) SOUL and if I have one? Well again, only in my opinion, but to me Soul is energy feeling… good or badnot physical feelings of pain from for example a physical wound that has be inflicted but more in the sense of emotion. Like love, sadness, happiness for instance are feelings which while very real, are not exactly…well its difficult to put in words but for me they are not feelings from my mind/brain but more feelings from/of my being/self…if that makes sense at all.
So to conclude, my definition of SOUL is energy feeling.
Funny enough that relates to the second post (in a way even though im sure they were joking when they said it but they touched on truth…) But Soul Music as an example is music that creates an energetic feeling, moves you to feel anyone of many emotions…i.e music that uplifts the soul…thats my understanding of it anyway.
Maybe, as far as if my soul is infinite is concerned, well proof is not here but yeah, its energy and feeling…these are not or atleast not limited to being physical, therefore it is not something that I believe has to DIE when my physical body does. But just my opinions anyway, hope you enjoy.
Let me know what you think.
PEACE;
JeanJAH. 
Jean JAH,
So what about those who lack this energy feeling? Most notably, sociopaths. People with no conscience. People who feel nothing.
Do they lack a soul?
I’ll admit that this makes a poetic sense. The person who lacks the capacity to feel has no soul. While a person of great feeling has what poetically might be called an “old soul.”
I suspect that we cannot get beyond a poetic sense of the soul.
One of my friends has a bit of a fascination for people who poetically have no soul. People without a conscience. He calls them the Shark-eyed People. When you look in their eyes you can just tell that they are not like other people.
zander,
I think that the concept of an immortal metaphysical soul, no matter how pretty the packaging is meaningless in any knowing sense. There are many who have made that leap of faith and will be happy to affirm your immortal soul, but that is faith in operation. There is nothing else to sustain such a notion.
If we are talking about our unique sentience, then yes, I have a soul.
It’s nice to know that soul music is still in play here (thanks Jean JAH).
Couldn’t soul food create those same feelings?
JT