What is the soul?

I don't see the necessity for the concept of "soul." I always thought "mind" would do.

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"A man with a good car doesn't have to be justified"---Flannery O'Connor

To me it does. Ok, let's just say "consciousness."

The question was, what is the soul?My answer: it's another word for "consciousness."

Ok, I see your point.Let me explain what prompted this idea of mine that "soul" is an unnecessary term. In traditional metaphysics, one might be a materialist, a dualist, or an idealist.Now, when an idealist says that only the mind is real, he might as well say, only the spirit is real, or only the soul is real. It all means the same thing. It's all being opposed to matter.We have mind and matter. That's all there is.

I was speaking in terms of traditional metaphysics. Very bold of me, I know.It's like saying, there are two ways we can logically think: induction and deduction.How dare I say such a thing?Or it's like saying, That which contradicts itself cannot be.How dare I say such a thing?

Logically, that is all there is.But who cares about logic?

That's the horrible thing about logic. It does tend to limit possibilities.That's not very romantic, is it?

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"A man with a good car doesn't have to be justified"---Flannery O'Connor

That's what happens when one is close-minded.

Good one, Paulk.

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"A man with a good car doesn't have to be justified"---Flannery O'Connor

Any entity we could think up would fall into one of those two categories of mind and matter, or being and thing.

What's your problem?

Oh, I think there are some things that we can say do not exist. For example, that which contradicts itself cannot exist. Round squares don't exist. How bold of you. Any particular reason that you believe in this soul which is neither mind nor matter but some mysterious other entity? Do you believe it on a whim? You just feel like believing it?We, human beings, walk around all day with this aura of incorporeality which we call the "mind" or "consciousness." That's how we came up with this notion of "mentality." Some will tell us that what causes this sensation, or rather lack of sensation, is the fact that the brain has no feelers. You can, I am told, stick a needle through the brain and we wouldn't feel a thing.By that as it may, that's how we got the idea of the mental. Then there's these other things lying about out there in the world that appear to be purely physical. They are not the least bit, on the face of it, incorporeal. That's how we came up with the idea of matter.Some people say that everything is matter--that this aura of incorporeality is an illusion. We have, according to these folks, who are called materialists, no minds, only brains.But you are introducing yet a third type of reality called "soul."Any justification for that?My justification for saying there are two types of entities, or at least apparently so, are these experiences I noted above.This message has been edited by robinrohan, 04-25-2006 08:26 AMThis message has been edited by robinrohan, 04-25-2006 08:37 AM

If everything is process, what is it that's being processed?

Two forms of the same substance--analogous to water and ice?This message has been edited by robinrohan, 04-26-2006 02:54 PM