What exactly is a soul?!

[neoontime]

escapist, for a while now, three questions have been stuck in my head

1. What exactly is a soul?

2. What has one?

3. Is it possible for someone to survive without one?
Edit: Any of those who read this before I am deeply sorry, I realized how stupid I sounded and I should have explained that I only meant for people to answer the question since I know already how many people don't believe in them.

 

[Rooster893]

1. Imaginary.

Did you not read his last sentence?

 

[Kiefer13]

A concept. Nothing more.

It's just a way of trying to make sense of our conscious minds and how they work, and to provide a possible reason for an afterlife. (the body dies, yet the soul lives on somehow)

To answer your points, assuming for the sake of argument that souls do in fact exist (because I'm not convinced they do, as anything beyond a mere concept):

1: It is our personality, our character traits, our memories. Basically everything that makes us who we are.

2: Everything alive, I would imagine.

3: Depends on your definition of "survive".

Any Douche bags who tell me souls don't exist can stay out of this thread!

Also, insulting and ignoring people that may not believe the same things that you do for the sole reason that they believe something else? Nice.

 

[Yumi_and_Erea]

"Soul" is ironically enough the kind of music played and enjoyed by people that haven't got one.

EDIT: I suppose I should clarify this, to avoid confusion:

No I'm not racist, and I believe black folks have just as much of a soul as whites and others.
This was a comment on the music, not on the people.

Just wanted to clear that up real quick.

 

[Jadak]

1. Imaginary.

Did you not read his last sentence?

Read and disregarded.

Actually no, not at first. Was in a hurry to get Imaginary in there as the first response.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I'm not sure, but it tastes vaguely of butterscotch.

Seriously, though, I would tell you what I personally believe, but I really hate being preachy.
And I would have to go in to a lot of tedious detail. Otherwise you would get the wrong idea.
Many people have before.

 

[Kollega]

1. Your conciousness, your memory, your character traits, stuff like that. Or something along those lines.

2. At the very least, everything that has a central brain. Animals certainly do.

3. Doubt it.

***
This definition is extremely vague, so think about other stuff yourself.

"Soul" is ironically enough the kind of music played and enjoyed by people that haven't got one.

And this.

 

[stormcrow5]

i dont know what a soul is but if i had one i think its gone by now

 

[El Poncho]

Well, I guess it's the thing inside you, that controls your body. The body is merely a host I guess, and once that host has gone by it's sell by date then your soul goes to heaven/hell or whatever you think. But there is the notion of a devil taking your soul but then I guess you become a demon.

 

[Distorted Stu]

A big story line in the "His Dark Materials" universe.

 

[Legion]

An un-provable but hopeful concept.

escapist, for a while now, three questions have been stuck in my head

1. What exactly is a soul?

2. What has one?

3. Is it possible for someone to survive without one?

Any Douche bags who tell me souls don't exist can stay out of this thread!

1: I'd say it's like an imprint of oneself; our memories, beliefs, personality. In other words, what makes us, us.

2: Everything living I suppose. Some would be more complicated than others.

3: I'd say it's possible to exist without one, but not to "live".

Although of course, I am answering this hypothetically, I am not convinced on whether they exist or not.

 

[Communist partisan]

1. A soul is something I stabbed in the throat a long time ago and now I'm roaming around like a psycho. 2. Everything living have a soul. 3. Yes you can surive whithout a soul I told you I stabbed mine...

 

[Ekonk]

A big story line in the "His Dark Materials" universe.

And a good one, at that.

 

[EliteFreq]

escapist, for a while now, three questions have been stuck in my head

1. What exactly is a soul?

2. What has one?

3. Is it possible for someone to survive without one?

Any Douche bags who tell me souls don't exist can stay out of this thread!

Believing in souls is a belief. You can't call someone a douchebag because they don't believe in them. If you don't agree then I think Christians, vegans and Psychics are all douches.

I personally don't believe in them. We're organisms that just happen to be intelligent enough to think about this type of thing. I see everything that the soul is represented as, as part of someone's psychological state and frame of mind. And so everything should have a soul. Also, with my above 'theory' anything without a 'soul' also isn't alive.

I hope you understand and accept my views.

 

[Fightgarr]

I have many beliefs. None of them are logical. This is mostly due to the important fact that many people seem to ignore: the universe itself is an absurd concept. I have a good deal of faith in everything having some kind of inner essence. Many indigenous cultures believe on animist principles at all things in nature have an essence. To a degree I believe this. I don't know what a soul is, but I completely believe in existence after death.

 

[Mr Wednesday]

Why, precisely, would you be a douche bag for saying souls don't exist? If you asked me what The Force consists in, who can wield it an how it might lead to the dark side, I would promtly inform you that The Force is made up.

Souls, are made up.

We might talk of the "self", the complexities of which blur the line. We may have some essential force at the center of us, but "souls" as we know em don't exist, as far as we are aware.

 

[Julianking93]

A mere concept relating to the theory that there is life after death.

However, I use the word "soul" relative to the amount of their optimism and happiness and love for people.

That's why I hate it when people say animals have no souls. My cats and dogs have more soul than most people I know.

 

[ghalkhsdkssakgh]

A big story line in the "His Dark Materials" universe.

Seconded.

1 - I'm not religious, and don't believe in a 'soul' in the Christian (or any other general) sense, but I would say that things like personality, feelings, thoughts, memories, everything that makes us truly human, could be construed as a 'soul'. Not seperate from the body and mind, just a special part of it.

2 - Anything living has it, just in different quantities and qualities.

3 - Yes, inasmuch as you'ld still be breathing etc. But it would be awful. I'm reminded of seeing a video of a famous piano player who lost his short term memory. Every time he saw someone (except his wife) it was the first time. When his wife walked into the room he acted as though he hadn't seen her in years. He would forget what he had just said 30 seconds after saying it. Yet he retained his beautiful piano playing. It was extremely sad, yet he and his wife learned to cope with it.

 

[cyber_andyy]

I like Darren Shan's idea on a soul:

Basically, a soul is born when someone first thinks, and is not controlled by animal instinct.