WTF is a soul anyway?

[conuly]

I've asked this before, and I'll likely ask it again. What is it? Everytime something even remotely philosophical comes up, people justify whatever they do by calling "soul!".

They eat meat because animals don't have souls.
They don't eat meat because animals do have souls.
They are anti-abortion because the soul exists from conception.
They aren't anti-abortion because the soul develops later.

Well, that's about it, but man, people shout loudly on those subjects. Soul this, soul that, and nobody ever stops to ask "what on earth is so important?" because they think they know. That's nice. I don't know, and would like to actually understand all these nifty little arguments about whether or not embryos and animals and whatnot have souls. Maybe even participate.

Comments

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

It's that "life spark" I mentioned. I'm not sure self-awareness really MAKES a soul (that more defines personhood, which is what most people want to use a soul to define) rather than that intangible thing that keeps the body moving. That one last bit of physiology that can't be explained away by science, and probably never will be.

[essius.livejournal.com]

Self-awareness is a qualification of the soul, and indicates a rational soul (as opposed to a merely vegetative or sensory soul). (In other words, I agree.)