Hey all, Im not sure if this is the best place to post this, but I couldnt think of anywhere better so..

I am not a Christian. I believe in a God, a higher power, but I am not a member of any religion. I do believe in the soul, for one reason. You think of a dead person very differently to a living person, not just because their breathing or because they can respond to your actions, because animals can do this, and I think Christianity says animals dont have souls. There is just something, I believe, that is there, inside us, that leaves when we die. Not our minds, our intelligence, etc. Like, something special, that is beyond our understanding.

So yeah, food for thought. post your opinions on the idea of a soul.

Food for thought...maybe. Can there be "thought" about personal beliefs that are "beyond our understanding"? If that's what you "think", there's really nothing more to think about.

Anyway, if a soul exists then it is a part of the physical universe. It should have at least a few observable properties that cannot be attributed elsewhere. Nothing of the sort can be detected. The closest thing to a soul detected is consciousness or self-awareness if you like. It is an emergent quality of the complexity of a brain and while our understanding of it is minimal so far, I don't think it is "beyond" it.

I suppose your right. But I guess because our mind is so far beyond our actual comprehension, I see it that way.

You ever see Waking Life? There was this bit in that, about how apparently on death they think there's still like 10 to 12 minutes of mental activity. Now, you know the nights when you go to sleep at 10:14, and have this amazing complex dream that seems like its lasting hours. Then you wake up and its 10:15. Well, and this is the opinion of the film, not necessarily mine, what if in that ten to twelve minutes of mental activity, what if that was everything, you know? What if you experienced the whole universe?

This is all just theoretical and stuff by the way, and I dont necessarily believe and of it.

I think that "intelligence" that you speak of was always there, so it never "leaves us", it's more like we shake of our physical counterpart. We are multidimensional beings, which shouldn't be too suprising as the Universe is and we are part of that Universe.

Edgar Cayce has come up with some excellent descriptions of the soul and it's good reading for those with even slight interest.

quote:Originally posted by Garfunkel:

You ever see Waking Life?

That is one of my favorites. Excellent flick.

quote:Originally posted by elfstone:

Food for thought...maybe. Can there be "thought" about personal beliefs that are "beyond our understanding"? If that's what you "think", there's really nothing more to think about.

Anyway, if a soul exists then it is a part of the physical universe. It should have at least a few observable properties that cannot be attributed elsewhere. Nothing of the sort can be detected. The closest thing to a soul detected is consciousness or self-awareness if you like. It is an emergent quality of the complexity of a brain and while our understanding of it is minimal so far, I don't think it is "beyond" it.



ten by your definition, i guess DNA and virii suddenly sprang into existance when they were discovered, right? after all, they bled ppl to cure them 200 years ago.

you logic in damning the possibility of a soul is flawed

quote:Originally posted by Nihilist:



ten by your definition, i guess DNA and virii suddenly sprang into existance when they were discovered, right? after all, they bled ppl to cure them 200 years ago.

you logic in damning the possibility of a soul is flawed

Huh? What is flawed is your english. I can't understand what you're saying.

quote:Originally posted by elfstone:

Huh? What is flawed is your english. I can't understand what you're saying.

read what you said and my reply. if you cant put 2 and 2 together, thats not my fault.

quote:Originally posted by Nihilist:

read what you said and my reply. if you cant put 2 and 2 together, thats not my fault.

You're simply not making any sense dude. I never gave any "definition". DNA and virii springing into existence? Wtf...what does this have anything to do with "soul" or anything I said? You omit letters in words and mention irrelevant concepts. Either you are a nutcase or trying to confuse people to win an argument.