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[Split Thread] Do you have a soul?

magnetism, mental illness, glee, atoms, -- all detectable... all measurable in some ways... all invisible

Souls... NOT.
 
I have something close to what the religious call a "soul"- something that belongs to my body, but is not part of my body. It is weightless and intangible, yet it profoundly influences my behaviour. When it departs from my body, I cease to be "me". It is something that we understand so little that it can truly be said to be miraculous.

It is a network of processes running in the hardware of my brain. It differs from the religious soul in that it can not outlast the hardware - indeed it frequently does not, leading to arguments between medics and family. It can not operate without the hardware any more than a computer program (which it resembles only in this) can operate detached from the computer. It is therefore not available for reward or punishment after death, for interrogation by ouija boards or psychics, or for travel on astral planes.

It differs from the religious soul in that its functioning can be profoundly altered by chemical or mechanical changes to the substrate, which changes can sometimes be irreversible. It has one intriguing similarity, though- it can be taken over in part or entirely by destructive processes that the hyper- religious call "demons", and I would call rogue memeplexes. It is also possible that these could be in turn replaced by more powerful memeplexes in a process the religious call "exorcism".
 
These threads usually grind to a halt once someone demands a definition of "soul". Saying "Well, then skip the definition for now, now what?" doesn't seem to be getting very far.
 
That's ok. If this thread is doomed, then so be it. I, personally, don't believe in souls or deities anyways. I was just wondering if they had to be intrinsically linked.

I suppose not. Let's move on.
 
Ixion said:
That's ok. If this thread is doomed, then so be it. I, personally, don't believe in souls or deities anyways. I was just wondering if they had to be intrinsically linked.

I suppose not. Let's move on.
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That is an easy one, magical thinking begets magical thinking begets magical thinking...........

Paul

:) :) :)
 
Scazon said:
I have something close to what the religious call a "soul"- something that belongs to my body, but is not part of my body. It is weightless and intangible, yet it profoundly influences my behaviour. When it departs from my body, I cease to be "me".
Click to expand...

Does this occur often?

Who are you when you are not you, Dr Jekyll?
 
Beerina said:
These threads usually grind to a halt once someone demands a definition of "soul". Saying "Well, then skip the definition for now, now what?" doesn't seem to be getting very far.
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Did anyone ask for a definition of free will yet? :D

~~ Paul
 
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