All living things have souls

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 42 here:

1) All living things have "souls," but "soul"=/="immaterial."

For debate:

Please offer some means to confirm the referenced claim is true.

[Elijah John]

From Post 42 here:

1) All living things have "souls," but "soul"=/="immaterial."

For debate:

Please offer some means to confirm the referenced claim is true.

I can't prove it, but anyone who has loved a cat or a dog are convinced they have souls too.

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 2:

I can't prove it, but anyone who has loved a cat or a dog are convinced they have souls too.

Being convinced of stuff we readily admit we can't prove seems to be what gets us in a mess in the first place.

"I'm convinced a god I can't show exists to even formulate an opinion hates him the homosexuals, therefore they don't deserve the same rights as me!"

[Divine Insight]

From Post 42 here:

1) All living things have "souls," but "soul"=/="immaterial."

For debate:

Please offer some means to confirm the referenced claim is true.

Doesn't someone need to offer a precise definition of exactly what a "soul" is before it can be debated whether or not such a thing exists?

I mean, as a musician I have a lot of "soul". And since I've recorded my music my "soul" will survive my death.

So in that case I not only can say that I have a soul, but I can even claim that my soul will survive my death. Albeit a totally secular "soul".

[agnosticatheist]

I can't prove it, but anyone who has loved a cat or a dog are convinced they have souls too.

TJ Kirk: "Do dogs have souls?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNau_Cdll3w

[McCulloch]

I can't prove it, but anyone who has loved a cat or a dog are convinced they have souls too.

Of course you cannot prove it. You cannot prove that you or I have a soul. I'll bet 1,000 tokens that you don't even know what a soul is. I certainly don't.

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 4:

Doesn't someone need to offer a precise definition of exactly what a "soul" is before it can be debated whether or not such a thing exists?

I leave such definitions to them that wanna carry on.

I mean, as a musician I have a lot of "soul". And since I've recorded my music my "soul" will survive my death.

Holy heck, it's James Brown

So in that case I not only can say that I have a soul, but I can even claim that my soul will survive my death. Albeit a totally secular "soul".

I can dig it. I find it fair we say "Boy howdy, if that'n there dies, well it is, I'll do my best to carry on his notions."

In that then, the "soul" carries on.

I just think there's a different notion about it when religious folks carry on about how it is, if I ain't James Brown, well I'm set to stir in a soup of fire 'til it is, the days don't end.

[Yochanan]

From Post 42 here:

1) All living things have "souls," but "soul"=/="immaterial."

For debate:

Please offer some means to confirm the referenced claim is true.

We should probably start with a definition of what soul is.
For some people it's conscience or just life it depends.

[Elijah John]

I can't prove it, but anyone who has loved a cat or a dog are convinced they have souls too.

Of course you cannot prove it. You cannot prove that you or I have a soul. I'll bet 1,000 tokens that you don't even know what a soul is. I certainly don't.

Never claimed I could prove it, only that I believe it and also believe our furry friends have souls too.

Can't really define it, 'cept to say that I believe it is the eternal, invisible part of us. No wager necessary.

Some traditonal trinitarian Christians point out the difference between one's soul and one's spirit, but that distinction is always lost on me and seems arbitrary.

[dianaiad]

I can't prove it, but anyone who has loved a cat or a dog are convinced they have souls too.

Of course you cannot prove it. You cannot prove that you or I have a soul. I'll bet 1,000 tokens that you don't even know what a soul is. I certainly don't.

Never claimed I could prove it, only that I believe it and also believe our furry friends have souls too.

Can't really define it, 'cept to say that I believe it is the eternal, invisible part of us. No wager necessary.

Some traditonal trinitarian Christians point out the difference between one's soul and one's spirit, but that distinction is always lost on me and seems arbitrary.

Hey, I'm absolutely NOT 'traditional Trinitarian Christian,' and I know the difference!

One's spirit is that which is eternal; I believe that this is the animating entity that, when combined with our physical bodies, becomes a soul.

As in "spirit + body = soul."

When the body dies, the spirit continues. Eventually, according to my beliefs, there will be a resurrection in which the spirit gets a new body.

....and yes, I do believe that all living things have spirits.

Now what that 'spirit' takes with it? Knowledge, memory, abilities?...I haven't a clue. I have to figure that there is some advantage to having a body; enough of one that getting another one is to be highly desired, but as to what all that is I haven't got a clue.

As for proving any of this empirically?

Nope. Can't do it, have never pretended to be able to do it.

But then I can't prove,, empirically, that my children think I'm really neat, either, but I'm going to continue to believe they do until one of them risks my ire and tells me I'm not.