The Existence or Non-existence of Souls Souls are the main topic exploring the myths, the beliefs, and whether are not they truly exist. The world is filled with believers and non-believers and those that do not believe the question is how do they exist? Do they survive after death and if so how is this known? Using my sources, I will give enlightenment on all of these issues. This essay is not to discredit, stomp on, or crush others beliefs it is just to explore the “if’s”, “how’s”, and “why’s”. Souls are within the beholder if you believe that they exist, then that is your answer. This essay will explore the definition of “soul”, give enlightenment on whether or not “souls” exist, and do they survive after death.
The world is filled with
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If the theory is true, then how can one believe that a soul can survive after the brain is no longer functioning? The spirit is a bundle of neurons in the brain, electricity, and no matter, so that means it cannot exist alone.
People want to believe that souls are not connected to the body, but rather that they hold their own form. That a soul has the ability to feel, see, and have emotions or that they are actually human emotions. But “In sharp contrast to popular opinion, the current scientific consensus rejects any notion of soul or spirit as separate from the activity of the brain” (Musolino). Francis Crick calls this The Astonishing Hypothesis.
Scientist and philosopher have explanations to if souls do exist and how and if it were true why is there certain damages to the body:
“…. If there was a soul, brain damage could not also damage our emotional feelings: but it does. Electrical stimulation of the causes actual desire to arise instantly. If memory, behavior, and emotions are all controlled by the physical brain, what is a soul for? Any free will it exerts is promptly overridden by biological chemistry….”
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If they do exist, then they take up no space and do not survive outside the body and generate from the brain stem. After all the research I cannot say for definitively that souls do or do not exist. What is known that is people are wanting and willing to believe that souls exist because it gives them comfort and hope about their own death.
Cited Works
Crabtree, Vexen. “Souls do not Exist Evidence from Science & Philosophy Against Mind-Body Dualism.” Human Truth Information. N.p., 04 May 2016. Web. 16 July 2016.
Flew, Antony. “Immortality.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. 602-616. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 July 2016.
James, Rachels, and Stuart Rachels. Problems from Philosophy, 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2012. VitalBook file.
MS Pearce, Jonathan. “Argument against the Soul-Stephen Cave A Tippling Philosopher.” A Tippling Philosopher. N.p., 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 16 July 2016.
Musolino, Julien. “You Don’t Have a Soul: The Real Science That Debunks Superstitious Charlatans.” Saloncom RSS. N.p., 25 Jan. 2015. Web. 02 July 2016.
Seidman, Barry F. "Near-Death Experiences Have Natural, Not Spiritual, Causes. "Death & Dying. Ed. James Haley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 29 June
In his writings, “A Contemporary Defense of Dualism,” J.P. Moreland argues the point that the mind and brain are separate from each other. It seems as a quick thought that both are the same. However, the mind deals with ideas, thoughts and hopes. The brain is made up of the neural process. Throughout the entire argument, Moreland tries to prove the theory of physicalism, which is the idea that only things that exist are composed of matter. His explanation is that the soul doesn’t exist and the brain controls everything.
Phaedo – the existence and nature of the afterlife and the immortality and reincarnation of the soul
In the Myth of the Soul, Darrow argues against different conceptions of immortality. One of the arguments that he presents to us is that we have a soul that can survive our death. Darrow argues that there is no evidence for the existence of the soul and questions where the soul stays within our body and when it enters our body. His arguments are to be further evaluated for its strengths and weaknesses as he tries to counter a belief with a long history particularly, in religion.
The Soul view focuses around the soul being separate from the body. The soul, being separate from the body, when a person dies can move on from one body to another. It doesn’t only consider death as a distinction between soul and body, the persistence comes into question as well. “If a person x exists at one time and something y exists at another time, under what circumstances is it the case that x is y?”. When the soul view is put into question for this the answer is that x and y are the same person. Although their body may have changed over time they are still the same person. This can be applied to sleeping, death, and other extreme circumstances. For instance, when you sleep you begin to lose consciousness but then wake up as the same person and can identify yourself, therefore you are the same person, no matter the body. The same can be tied to death, if body was not in question when you “wake up” you persist with the same soul and memories. Therefore, the soul View holds.
The book Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, is a non-fiction work by Mary Roach, that explores the unanswered questions about the afterlife. The humorous and scientific exploration includes: whether there is a soul that survives death, reincarnation, near-death experiences and out of body experiences. This is a book about what scientists are doing and have done in their attempt to find evidence that when we die we don’t just turn into bones. Roach attempts to find and the define that soul using a scientific approach in order to determine the possibilities of an afterlife. To achieve this goal, she examines what scientists have discovered in their quest to find evidence for life after death.
life: seeing the world in relationship to oneself alone, versus viewing the world as an aggregate.
Soul theory argues that what makes a person who they are is not their physical presence, however, it is a person’s soul that differentiates them from an other living being (Perry, pp 3). The soul is one’s consciousness, their mind, allowing them to be present, experience and make decisions (Weisberg, January 2016). One’s personal identity is directly linked to one’s soul, if one has the same soul they are the same person (Perry, pp 4).
Thesis: The mind-body problem arises because of the lack of evidence when looking for a specific explanation of the interaction of mental and physical states, and the origin and even existence of them.
The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as the essence of a being 1. Views on the permanence of the soul vary throughout religious tradition as well. While some view it as a mortal entity in flux others believe the soul is an immortal and permanent unit. These interpretations vary from time period to time period and between religions. These characteristics of the soul are interpreted differently through an Eastern or
It can be very difficult to find a universal proposal that offers a solution to the mind body problem. While solutions to this problem differ greatly, all attempt to answer questions such as: What makes a mental state mental? What is the fundamental nature of the mental? Or more specifically speaking, what makes a thought a thought? Or what makes a pain a pain? In an attempt to answer these questions, many philosophers over the centuries have rejected, proposed, or altered preexisting theories in order to keep up with the thinking and science of their times. Entering the 21st century their still exit a plethora of theories, some stronger than others, which include Cartesian dualism, physicalism,
The mind-body problem is an age-old topic in philosophy that questions the relationship between the mental aspect of life, such as the field of beliefs, pains, and emotions, and the physical side of life which deals with matter, atoms, and neurons. There are four concepts that each argue their respective sides. For example, Physicalism is the belief that humans only have a physical brain along with other physical structures, whereas Idealism argues that everything is mind-based. Furthermore, Materialism argues that the whole universe is purely physical. However, the strongest case that answers the commonly asked questions such as “Does the mind exist?” and “Is the mind your brain?” is Dualism.
exists except from matter so therefore the mind and the body (brain) work together and
I believe there are both an immaterial part to you and a physical part. The physical part of you cannot survive without the immaterial. The immaterial part of a person is the soul, which I also believe, is the mind. However, your soul can live on without the physical sense of you. I believe that the physical part of you, your body, is acting like a cage to your soul. The body is kind of like a suit that your soul wears while it is on Earth. There is only one part of you that controls your actions and thoughts, which is your mind. Also, I believe that your body without a soul is just dead. If your soul and body are no longer at one then I believe you soul moves on to another world where your body is just dead. Once the soul and body are no longer connected the body has no purpose and has no actions. Since without the soul the body is nothing but matter then the soul is that part that is making all decisions, which is why I believe it is also the mind. It is the part of a person that make up a personality or gives a person reason. I believe the mind is the only part of a person that makes decisions and puts your physical body in action. With believing that the soul is in a body but the soul does not need the body, I
that if X can be without Y then X and Y are distinct. This view that a
Plato has roused many readers with the work of a great philosopher by the name of Socrates. Through Plato, Socrates lived on generations after his time. A topic of Socrates that many will continue to discuss is the idea of “an immortal soul”. Although there are various works and dialogues about this topic it is found to be best explained in The Phaedo. It is fair to say that the mind may wonder when one dies what exactly happens to the beloved soul, the giver of life often thought of as the very essence of life does it live on beyond the body, or does it die with it? Does the soul have knowledge of the past if it really does live on?