Soul

[da]

What's the word "soul" mean to you? What associations does it bring up? Is the word fraught with baggage... smelling partly of brimstone? Does it have deep connection for you? Is it ineffable and abstract? Is it like a Platonic ideal of a thing, not to be pinned down? Is it boring? Is it a handy fiction?

I'd love to have a conversation about that, to the extent we can in an online journal. Anonymous comments are fine. My hope is to have common referents to continue in another post.

I invite you to make your first comment here, that is to say without reading the previous comments before-hand. Of course feel free to read other comments too, and discuss with others, but after your first comment. :) Thanks!

[Edit to add:

I can say: the breadth of peoples' responses is pretty darn cool.

So, I suggested a dialogue. What now?

It would be one thing if we were in the same room, and could look at each other and be clear that we're going to treat this with the respect it deserved. In that situation, I would say we could just ask each other open, honest questions; questions that don't try to convince the other of our own understanding; but help the other person to articulate their truth for us. And take it from there.

We could try something like that. I'd participate. Why don't we try that?

It might go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: you're welcome to not reply to someone's question, or to reply telling them you won't reply (and that's final; challenges are not OK).

]

Comments

[dpolicar]

You imply here that being agnostic/atheistic leads to having no particular belief in an immortal soul. I'm interested in what you see as the connection between those two (or perhaps three) things.

[http://users.livejournal.com/merle_/]

There are two parts to this, "immortal" and "soul". I find it hard to believe that anything is immortal -- and if it is, a few years of sin can easily be made up for.

"Soul", though, is a term I associate with religion, while "sentience" I associate with science. Probably it is my personal take on the word, but if it requires religion for a soul to exist and I do not accept any religions, then there may not be such a thing as a soul.