Do animals have souls?

It's basically Plato's Idealism, the idea that all objects represent degenerate forms of a perfect ideal; chairs are chairs because every chair is a degenerate form of the perfect chair.Of course, that raises the question - if I cut down a tree use the wood to make a chair, at which point does the wood stop being an increasingly degenerate tree and become a decreasingly degenerate chair?

I wouldnt be so sure - alot of new sciences are being developed, I suspect we will be able to measure more things in the future. Elevated pork are also material subctances. The main thing to remember here is that we dont if there are immaterial things, about immaterial things (if you suggest they exist) and any way to test those things. Therefore, immateriality is a hypothesis without merit.

You know.. just as someone says 'we have reached the limits', some new technique, or some new invention comes along and totally changes that.I , for one, would never make that kind of prediction.One the other hand, I don't suspect we will ever find the 'immateral', spirit, soul. I don't think they will ever be detected.The problem with the unobservable and the undetectable is it bears a sriking resemblance to the non-existant.

When I said science has reached it's limit on what can be measured I am speaking of the phenomenon of not being able to observe or measure a quantum event without affecting the data by making the measurement. It is not possible to take ourselves out of the equation.And although humans are quite clever apes we still do not know what lurks within the depths of our own seas, let alone beyond our own galaxy. Abiogenisis still confounds us, cold fusion, quantum gravity, Pre Plankian time, conciousness. VCR recording directions..... So asking questions like do animals have a soul can just be added to the list.

This is an interesting question as it separates pan-spiritualists from anthropocentrists.Though I have a materialist outlook, I have more sympathy with the pan-spiritualist who sees a "spirit" in all life, than the anthropocentrist. I dislike the idea that humanity has some kind of existential ascendancy of over every other form of life, even though it's an assumption we all make (myself included) at one point or another.In my humble opinion we ALL return to the earth!This message has been edited by RickJB, 04-26-2006 03:13 AM

Whatever happened to the original topic?

It went somwhere a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away LOL.I was involved in this topic for a while, but I had to get out. I love animals very much and if I get into a heated debate with a bunch of people on the opposite fence it might get a little to heated. One on one would be okay, but not a free-for-all involving thirty people. Plus i'm in a verbal slug-fest with Ringo on another topic. I might stop that one and try to start a one-on-one about this topic (I tried about the Nephilim. No takers yet .It is interesting to see people of different faith and people of no faith discuss this topic though.

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"The Nephilim where in the Earth in those days..." Genesis 6:4

I'd say yes, by and large, most do. And, as they say, love is the universal language.

Glad you decided to add to our diversity. We have a wide variety of forums for your debating pleasure, but I warn you it can become habit forming.In the purple signature box below, you'll find some links that will help make your journey here pleasant.Pay particular attention to our Forum Guidelines and all will go well.Again welcome and happy debating.

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Usually, in a well-conducted debate, speakers are either emotionally uncommitted or can preserve sufficient detachment to maintain a coolly academic approach.-- Encylopedia Brittanica, on debate

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Are you really a witch?

She's really a cat, too!

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"Religion is the best business to be in. It's the only one where the customers blame themselves for product failure."
-- Ellis Weiner (quoted on the NAiG message board)

No, but I do have the power to render off-topic posts invisible with a twitch of my whiskers.

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Again, welcome and please continue with the topic of this thread.

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Carry on

-Whisper quietly responds to admin threat/welcome.

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She's really a cat, too!

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One with a soul? -Just to stay on topic here.

I don't know that whether animals have souls or not. They might be conscious and thus might have something simalar to souls. The bible does mention animals in heaven so they just might have something. Now, understand that even if animals didn't have them, they could still simulate feeling like compassion and such, even if they don't actually experience them. So they would be like robots. Understand that everything they do is based on extinct. I am not sure if animals can chose I just don't know. Personally I would like to believe animals are conscious like us but if it is not consistent with scripture then I can't believe it.

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Of course, that raises the question - if I cut down a tree use the wood to make a chair, at which point does the wood stop being an increasingly degenerate tree and become a decreasingly degenerate chair?

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Hmm, thats very interesting.