Define "Soul"

[articulett]

Addrionn's argument seems to be a common one-- "my life would suck if I didn't believe in souls--therefore, souls are real."

Most creatures seem to get along fine without souls. My dog even seems rather moral, ambitious, and at least feigns interest and guilt so that I'm convinced and appropriately charmed and manipulated.

Yes it feels like it isn't your brain-- that's because it evolved to feel that way. But Science pretty much shows that it is. There is no evidence for any kind of consciousness absent a living material brain. But understanding how the world really works and how your brain fools you is actually more cool than assuming you know and being totally wrong. At least, in my opinion it is. And us naturalists seem to find our lives worth living. And when we are down, it helps to know that it's a brain thing-- it really isn't connected to whether we believe in a soul or not although the rumor among dualists is that we're miserable nihilists. That's just a little lie you guys tell eachother to keep your pet illusion alive.

 

[lightcreatedlife@hom]

"Made-up crap"

It is a made up term that tries to explain the "basic something" behind why things are, and behave the way they do. Pretty much like the other made up terms humans use to explain their perceptions.

And of course, if you're religious, it's the soul which gives us the 'spark of life'. We're not a brute animal because we possess this divine presence.

It sounds like you are refering to "consciousness." It is that which separates us from animals. While I think the soul "animates" life, it is also behind the conditions for life.

I define soul as an energy, with uknown origin, that allow us to think, have racional thoughts, and discuss this very matter. Our body is simply the result of billions of years of evolution which allow the maximum expression of that kind of energy, and still, going further.

I think that energy is electromagnetism, it is the force that sets the operating conditions for life, and the conditions for life. Nonliving matter is talked about in reference to its electrical/magnetic properties, and life in reference to its mental/emotional nature. Mental/emotional energy being a modified type of electromagnetic energy.

I think our biological existence serves that purpose, so that i can "carry" this kind of energy, which a rock, a river or a particle can´t express.

Humans are able to call their electrical/magnetic properties, mental/emotional properites. And while there is a soul that encompasses everything, everything has an individual soul based on it.

Oh boy... here I go again.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Oh boy... here I go again.

Funny, that's what I said.

 

[lightcreatedlife@hom]

Funny, that's what I said.

Well, lets get started then. While it is the four forces that make the universe what it is, it is the EMF force that provides the "most active" contribution. Its like how it takes two to make a baby, but only one has the most active part to play. The "spark of life" and the thing that makes things "go," is light. Not only light, but we like mom best.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Well, lets get started then. While it is the four forces that make the universe what it is, it is the EMF force that provides the "most active" contribution. Its like how it takes two to make a baby, but only one has the most active part to play. The "spark of life" and the thing that makes things "go," is light. Not only light, but we like mom best.

Please indicate what phenomena you think your theory explains better than a purely material explanation, and cite evidence to support your position.

 

[lightcreatedlife@hom]

Please indicate what phenomena you think your theory explains better than a purely material explanation, and cite evidence to support your position.

Damn. I knew there was a reason I haven't been here. After reading your threads, seeing the speed in which some of you flip data and project it, it will take me some time to really compete... if ever. But... humans feel, see, and understand, a basic connection to it "all." That connection has been to traced to four fundamental forces, (and the happening that they made possible you know, the universe and stuff) of which one is most connected to the "active" interaction of matter and energy. In fact (I hope) it is the one force composed of them both. How poetic is that? Or should I say "elegant?" The one feeling that stirs even science.
All interaction takes at least two... two bound and connected, and yeah, electromagnetism, light, is at the base of it all. Did religion luck up and guess, or was it felt?

Lucky me, my mouse just flipped out.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Damn. I knew there was a reason I haven't been here. After reading your threads, seeing the speed in which some of you flip data and project it, it will take me some time to really compete... if ever. But... humans feel, see, and understand, a basic connection to it "all." That connection has been to traced to four fundamental forces, (and the happening that they made possible you know, the universe and stuff) of which one is most connected to the "active" interaction of matter and energy. In fact (I hope) it is the one force composed of them both. How poetic is that? Or should I say "elegant?" The one feeling that stirs even science.
All interaction takes at least two... two bound and connected, and yeah, electromagnetism, light, is at the base of it all. Did religion luck up and guess, or was it felt?

Lucky me, my mouse just flipped out.

Thanks, but what does that imply, and how can we test that?

 

[lightcreatedlife@hom]

Thanks, but what does that imply, and how can we test that?

What, that the universe is governed by three relative stable forces, and one active opposing force?
That the duel nature of the "active force," had to carry over into the duel nature of the life created through, and because of, its interactions?
Or, that the role of the EM force can be viewed as the soul?

 

[articulett]

Not to be snotty or anything, but isn't it up to the soul believers to define their own term?

~~ Paul

Do you think you were subliminally influenced to use the term snotty because people were talking about sneezing and used tissue in the posts above?

 

[ImaginalDisc]

What, that the universe is governed by three relative stable forces, and one active opposing force?
That the duel nature of the "active force," had to carry over into the duel nature of the life created through, and because of, its interactions?
Or, that the role of the EM force can be viewed as the soul?

What, specifically, does your theory imply? Let me know so I can go verify whether or not the implications are true.

 

[Taffer]

How would you define the "soul"?

A tasty fish to eat with salad.

 

[PBTree]

In that case i don´t agree you, i can´t concieve the fact that we are just a sum of biochemical machanisms. For me, thinking that way, and i´m not saying it´s wrong, there is no logic for us to bother with anyting at all. Why do we need to build houses, why do we need to work, why do whe need to be part of a culture, and so on? In animals, Nature tell us our main objective is to prepetuate the existence of the spiecies... So, why don´t we just do like animals, whe shut our mouths, eat and reproduce? (Well, sometimes everything would be easier that way )

I think we are just biochemical mechanisms. We pick our mates based upon some biological drive that says "she/he's the one for me". From that point on we are just trying to live and hopefully improve our lot in life.

If we improve our own lot, then it follows that our offspring will have a better chance. Which means that their offspring will be better off as well. etc etc.

Somewhere to live (a house), that we secure via a job, is to all intents and purposes just somewhere safe and secure to live. This safety is enhanced by being part of a culture.

Ants and birds have nests. Bees have hives. (I do too but mine get itchy).

Everything needs somewhere to live and everything works for it's living. Even the hobo on the street who lives in a cardboard carton, works for a living (begging).

I don't think we are doing anything different from the animals of this world. Even our morals are the same IMO. Most animals live quite peacefully together (without religion or woo by the way) and only really ever get testy when sex, a genetic/psychological bad'un or territorial ownerships rear their ugly head. (read beautiful for sex)

With the exception of intelligence, where do we differ from anything else on this orb? We live we die and we fertilise the ground for the carrots or potatoes that the next lot will eat.

 

[articulett]

Animals evolved to propagate genes... we evolved to propogate genes and memes... information evolves to get itself copies and humans happen to be very good processors, recombiners, storers, assimilators, and replicators of information.

This isn't purposeful... it's just that information evolves increasingly complex and faster information spawners--and the human brain has evolved to be a super information evolver and replicator--and we build technologies so we can share our knowledge and technology as we have evolved to do. Those with the best information processing and replicating brains have preferentially survived as have the good ideas spawned by them.

Sure it feels special... it has evolved to... making the human feel special happens to be a good way for information to get itself passed on--true or not.

Science is increasingly showing why we have the illusion of souls and why such illusions persist despite eons of belief and not an iota of evidence for such a thing.

 

[lightcreatedlife@hom]

What, specifically, does your theory imply? Let me know so I can go verify whether or not the implications are true.

That the mental/emotional nature of life is connected to the electromagnetic nature of the conditions for life. That the duel nature most evident in "higher" life, is tied to the duel nature of the force "most" responsible for life. That male and female are manifestations (as much as biologically possible) of the light force.
That the light force (because of its pervasiveness) is the soul of life.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

That the mental/emotional nature of life is connected to the electromagnetic nature of the conditions for life. That the duel nature most evident in "higher" life, is tied to the duel nature of the force "most" responsible for life. That male and female are manifestations (as much as biologically possible) of the light force.
That the light force (because of its pervasiveness) is the soul of life.

That's very nice. Now, what can I go out and verify to show your theory is true?

 

[thor76]

Forgive me if this has already been covered.

How would you define the "soul"?

One of the more common definitions that I have encountered is, "that which lives on after death". It has also been described to me as the object that holds the knowledge of right and wrong and again as one’s conscious.

Anyway, just curious what your thoughts are.

The soul is the incarnating personality. It is housed in the chakra above your crown chakra which is known in some areas as the soul star. From there it slowly extends downward its influeance, both in a general and specific sence.

More directly there is a line of subtle force that is really an extention of the soul that enters the body through the crown chakra. This is the mechinism behind reincarnation.


The soul itself is an extention of the monad or what is often called the "over soul".

All this and more can be found in the pranic healing books by Master Choa Kok Sui, espesially "meditations for soul realization" book. Also much is written in Theosophy and Theosophical Society literature that is probally on line for free if you look around.

I disagree with I suppose many others in that I do not see the need to "prove" the soul exists, except to myself.

One could say "consciousness" instead of "soul" when meaning essential the same thing, but the actions described earlier would still occur. A rose by any other name...

Read those books if you are really interested.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

The soul is the incarnating personality. It is housed in the chakra above your crown chakra which is known in some areas as the soul star. From there it slowly extends downward its influeance, both in a general and specific sence.

More directly there is a line of subtle force that is really an extention of the soul that enters the body through the crown chakra. This is the mechinism behind reincarnation.


The soul itself is an extention of the monad or what is often called the "over soul".

All this and more can be found in the pranic healing books by Master Choa Kok Sui, espesially "meditations for soul realization" book. Also much is written in Theosophy and Theosophical Society literature that is probally on line for free if you look around.

I disagree with I suppose many others in that I do not see the need to "prove" the soul exists, except to myself.

One could say "consciousness" instead of "soul" when meaning essential the same thing, but the actions described earlier would still occur. A rose by any other name...

Read those books if you are really interested.

Wow, that's great. What does that imply?

 

[prewitt81]

The soul is the incarnating personality. It is housed in the chakra above your crown chakra which is known in some areas as the soul star. From there it slowly extends downward its influeance, both in a general and specific sence.

More directly there is a line of subtle force that is really an extention of the soul that enters the body through the crown chakra. This is the mechinism behind reincarnation.


The soul itself is an extention of the monad or what is often called the "over soul".

Nope

 

[Cainkane1]

Ecto plasm

Forgive me if this has already been covered.

How would you define the "soul"?

One of the more common definitions that I have encountered is, "that which lives on after death". It has also been described to me as the object that holds the knowledge of right and wrong and again as one’s conscious.

Anyway, just curious what your thoughts are.

caspers made of ecto plasm.

 

[lightcreatedlife@hom]

Please indicate what phenomena you think your theory explains better than a purely material explanation, and cite evidence to support your position.

Can the explanation be purely material?

What, specifically, does your theory imply? Let me know so I can go verify whether or not the implications are true.

That the actions of life has to be tied to the force most responsible for why it does what it does, and how. That the duel nature of life (and just about everything else) is tied to the duel nature of the force most responsible for why what it does what it does, and how.

That's very nice. Now, what can I go out and verify to show your theory is true?

The authors of book Longing For The Harmonies says that: "From Thales on down, the classical approach to change in the physical world has been to explain it as being merely the rearrangement of more fundamental entities, themselves unchangeable. Again and again, though, supposedly changeless elements of reality have turned out to be changeable after all. From the supposedly perfect and inalterable bodies "beyond the moon" to atoms, nuclei, and even protons and neutrons, changes and transformations have been found in one "immutable" object after another. It now seems that only much more abstract and intangible things, such as energy and electric charge, truly persist unchanged in time."

As I understand it, the energy comes from the flow between two potentials, (negative and positive) and the electric charge is tied to the EMF. And we know that an electric charge is electromagnetic. Doesn't that put light at the beginning, and the reason why things are the way they are? Doesn't it fit the description of the soul? The active and operating link to everything?