Do you believe in the soul?

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Do you believe in the soul?

  • Yea

    Votes: 22 75.9%
  • No

    Votes: 5 17.2%
  • dont care

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Total voters
    29
Mar 12, 2005
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#24
ThaG said:
so now we have a second vague term with no definition....
So you mean to tell me you can refute everything that pertains to pseudoscience? I never knew one scientist or philosopher that knew everything, apparently you think other wise. :dead:
 
Aug 3, 2005
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#25
sorry if it confuses you. ill try to be more specific
i think the soul and the spirit are two different forms of energy that we possess.
i believe one form of energy is horizontal energy. what i mean is it is energy that is connected to the world we are in, connects us to other people, with things we attract, with things that have something to do with our physical body and its place and role in the physical world.
the other is the vertical, a form of energy that deals with the transcendent energy that takes us out of our physical bodies, that is beyond the ego, enlightenment, out of body experiences, possibly dreams, psychic and telekinetic energies, things like that.

this also leads me to my belief on the afterlife.
i believe wen we die, two things happen. i think wen we die the one of these forms of energy is released into the world and into other lifeforms or whatever, one may call it reincarnation. when a house gets destroyed and its walls crumbled, the energy or space inside the house is not destroyed with it. it is released. energy cannot be created or destroyed, the same goes with the energy within us.
i believe when we die, the other form of energy transcends to another dimension of the world we live in. i believe this because of extensive conversations ive had with people who can communicate with this realm (mediums) who were usually old men and women who had no reason to lie. in this realm, we exist as our "selves" without our physical bodies, our freed luminous energetic fields or wave energy without the fleshy cage. this world is what we believe it to be, because it is created from our thoughts, which is why this realm might be what many consider a heaven or a hell, or some "place" we go to.

theres a lot lot lot more to it that ill not go into for now (its 5AM) and a lot i still dont know and completely understand, but thats what i believe, today at least.
 
Aug 8, 2003
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#26
2-0-Sixx said:
Define "soul" please.
soul- noun
((((More specifically..))))
1. the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.
2. the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come: arguing the immortality of the soul.
3. the disembodied spirit of a deceased person: He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him.
4. the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments.
5. a human being; person.
6. high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc.
7. the animating principle; the essential element or part of something.
8. the inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc.
9. the embodiment of some quality: He was the very soul of tact.
10. (initial capital letter) Christian Science. God; the divine source of all identity and individuality.


if emotions, feelings and the like can be explained through brain impulses, id like to know whatz the number of diffrent methods used to test the brains functioning because there are sections of the brain that we dont know about still..
 

ThaG

Sicc OG
Jun 30, 2005
9,597
1,687
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#27
[ n a v ] said:
sorry if it confuses you. ill try to be more specific
i think the soul and the spirit are two different forms of energy that we possess.
i believe one form of energy is horizontal energy. what i mean is it is energy that is connected to the world we are in, connects us to other people, with things we attract, with things that have something to do with our physical body and its place and role in the physical world.
the other is the vertical, a form of energy that deals with the transcendent energy that takes us out of our physical bodies, that is beyond the ego, enlightenment, out of body experiences, possibly dreams, psychic and telekinetic energies, things like that.

this also leads me to my belief on the afterlife.
i believe wen we die, two things happen. i think wen we die the one of these forms of energy is released into the world and into other lifeforms or whatever, one may call it reincarnation. when a house gets destroyed and its walls crumbled, the energy or space inside the house is not destroyed with it. it is released. energy cannot be created or destroyed, the same goes with the energy within us.
i believe when we die, the other form of energy transcends to another dimension of the world we live in. i believe this because of extensive conversations ive had with people who can communicate with this realm (mediums) who were usually old men and women who had no reason to lie. in this realm, we exist as our "selves" without our physical bodies, our freed luminous energetic fields or wave energy without the fleshy cage. this world is what we believe it to be, because it is created from our thoughts, which is why this realm might be what many consider a heaven or a hell, or some "place" we go to.

theres a lot lot lot more to it that ill not go into for now (its 5AM) and a lot i still dont know and completely understand, but thats what i believe, today at least.

Energy is something that can be measured - why nobody has ever observed that "form of energy"?
 
Nov 17, 2002
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#29
2-0-Sixx said:
Define "soul" please.
Christians refer to a "soul" as a spirit inhabiting a body. Comes from the whole, "God breathed into man the spirit of life and he became a living soul" bit.

What I refer to as the soul is simply the self, which, in my understanding, exists prior to and after any material body. The soul is eternal whereas the body is not.
 
Nov 17, 2002
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#30
2-0-Sixx said:
How can "consciousness, or the mind" be "separate from the brain?" If a person has brain damage to a specific part of the brain that impairs their cognitive abilities, isn't that proof enough that consciousness and thought is physical? Are we still living in the dark ages? How, in the year 2007, can people believe that the brain is not responsible for our thoughts?
This is like saying, "How can you be separate from your car? If the car has motor damage that causes it not to run anymore, isn't that proof enough that you are no different from your car?" In other words, just because damage to the physical brain results in inhibiting functions in mental and physical abilities does not therefore conclude that the self must boil down to some physical process. Of course, we have experience of people getting out of their cars. You may say that we don't have the experience of getting out of our bodies, but the point here is to show that just because damage is done to the vessel that alters the capacity one has acting in that vessel, that doesn't mean that the operator of the vessel has changed. I propose that the self (or soul) residing in the dog body or the tree body is the same type of self residing within the human body. Distinctions have to do with the body itself. A 100 watt light bulb installed in a closet or in a dining room - in both cases it is 100 watts - but each room has a different capacity to fill. No sane person says, "oh, the light in closet must be different grade than the light in dining room." So just as the soul fills to the capacity of different bodies, it also fills to the capacity of a damaged body.
 
Aug 3, 2005
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#32
ThaG said:
Energy is something that can be measured - why nobody has ever observed that "form of energy"?
what about that mysterious weight that leaves the body when one dies...in the early 1900s Dr. Duncan MacDougall sought to measure the weight purportedly lost by a human body when the soul departed the body upon death. MacDougall weighed dying patients in an attempt to prove that the soul was material, tangible and thus measurable. Although MacDougall's results varied considerably from 21 grams, for some people this figure has become synonymous with the measure of a soul's mass
 
Nov 17, 2002
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#33
A Dialogue on "The Ghost in the Machine"

by Sadaputa Dasa


Is the existence of the soul merely a myth propagated by fuzzy-minded fanatics—or a fact verifiable by a nonmechanistic science?

The prevailing view among modern scientists is that a human being is in essence a complex machine. According to this view, our life and consciousness have their source in the interactions of our bodily parts—neurons in the brain, organelles in the cells, and so on. Mechanistic scientists scoff at the idea that a transcendental entity—the self, or soul—could be the source of life and consciousness. “The ghost in the machine” is a favorite epithet they use to turn thumbs down on the idea of the soul and attempt to dismiss it from serious consideration.

What follows is an excerpt from Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science, a forthcoming book that explores in depth the question of the origin and nature of life and consciousness. Dr. Avaroha expresses the views of the author; Drs. Kutark and Shunya are composite characters who express views widely held by members of the modern scientific community.

Dr. Avaroha: The Bhagavad-gita states that each individual organism consists of an irreducible conscious entity riding in a physical body composed of gross material elements. The body is insentient—a complicated machine, according to Bhagavad-gita [18.61]. In contrast, the conscious entity, or jivatma, is the actual sentient self of the living being, and it cannot be explained in mechanistic terms [Bg. Ch. 2]. Each jivatma possesses all the attributes of a person, including consciousness, intelligence, and innate sensory faculties. These attributes cannot be reduced to the interplay of some underlying impersonal entities that we might hope to describe by a mechanistic theory. In a sense, we can compare the jivatmas to the hypothetical fundamental particles sought by physicists. Just as these particles are envisioned as having certain irreducible material properties, the jivatmas can be thought of as fundamental units of conscious personality endowed with certain irreducible personal traits.

Dr. Kutark: So you are proposing a theory that features a transcendental soul as a primitive element. A priori, I suppose there’s no reason why we can’t propose such a thing. But are there any experiments proving the existence of the soul?

Dr. Avaroha: To answer this question, let’s consider how physical experiments are conducted. In physics we can show that an entity exists only by performing an experiment that takes advantage of that entity’s mode of interaction with other matter. Take for example the cloud-chamber tracks made by charged particles such as electrons. These tracks result from the ionization of atoms near the path of the particle, and this ionization is caused by the electromagnetic interaction between the particle and the electrons in the atoms. Neutral particles do not interact in this way and thus leave no tracks. The neutrino, for example, is famous for interacting with matter in a very weak way—by what is known as the weak force, in fact—and thus it is very hard to detect experimentally.

Dr. Kutark: So to detect the soul in an experiment we would have to take advantage of the soul’s particular mode of interaction with matter. That’s reasonable. But what is that mode of interaction? At present, physicists know of four basic types of forces: strong, weak, electromagnetic, and gravitational. You are suggesting, I gather, that the soul does not interact in any of these modes?

Dr. Avaroha: That’s correct, and so we can’t hope to detect the presence of the jivatma directly with any of our usual physical instruments. The jivatma does interact with matter, but in a very indirect and subtle way. As a result of the jivatma’s primary interaction, secondary electromagnetic interactions are induced in the body, and these affect the nervous system in particular [Srimad- Bhagavatam 3.26.34]. These electromagnetic effects are detectable in principle, but they are very complex. Therefore, it would be very difficult to unambiguously single out the influence of the jivatma on the body by analyzing physical measurements.

Dr. Shunya: This makes it seem very implausible that you could ever verify the existence of this hypothetical jivatma. But I would like to make another, more fundamental point. Suppose you could demonstrate from experimental data that some new fundamental law of nature was needed to explain the functioning of the brain. A theory incorporating this law would still be mechanistic. All our scientific statements—and, in fact, all valid statements of any kind—refer to patterns in measured data, and they are therefore necessarily mechanistic, even though we may not always try to express them in formal mathematical language. Since you are describing consciousness and personality as nonmechanistic, you are in effect saying nothing at all. It is meaningless even to talk about verifying such statements experimentally.

Dr. Avaroha: You are partly right. It is indeed true that we cannot study consciousness per se by examining its influence on the motion of matter. Of course, we can make indirect inferences about consciousness by such methods. But to make a real study of consciousness, we have to take advantage of the higher cognitive potencies of the jivatma itself. To understand consciousness and deal with it in a practical way, we need to enter a domain of discourse and experience that goes beyond the mechanistic world view. If we were simply machines, then this would not be possible. But, according to Bhagavad-gita our own existence transcends the mechanistic realm.

When the jivatma is embodied, its innate senses are linked up with the information-processing system of the physical body, and thus the normal sensory perceptions of the jivatma refer almost exclusively to the physical states of machines, including the machine of the brain [Bg. 15.7]. Only the embodied jivatma’s direct perception of its own internal sensory and cognitive activities involves something that cannot be described in terms of mechanical configurations. For this reason, there is a strong tendency for the jivatma to overlook its own nature and view the world in an entirely mechanistic way.

But the inherent senses of the jivatma are not limited to observing the states of the physical body. The jivatma is capable of direct reciprocation with other jivatmas and the Paramatma, or Superconsciousness. Since this mode of interaction directly involves the use of all personal attributes and qualities, it cannot be described in mechanistic terms. But it can be understood and meaningfully discussed by persons who have attained to this level of experience by direct realization.

Dr.Shunya: Such “realization” is purely subjective! Anyone can claim to have all kinds of remarkable realizations and mystical visions, and in fact there are many thousands of such people, and thousands of conflicting sects composed of their gullible followers! But science is limited to knowledge that can be verified objectively. For an observation to be considered objective it must be possible for several different people to make the observation independently and then correlate their results.

Dr. Avaroha: Two persons able to function on a higher level of consciousness would certainly be able to recognize each other as realized souls, and they could also meaningfully discuss their realizations with other similarly endowed persons. We can partially illustrate this situation by the analogy of two seeing persons discussing a sunset in the presence of a congenitally blind person. The blind person would not be able to appreciate their statements, and he might take the skeptical viewpoint that talk about sunsets is simply meaningless. Nonetheless, the seeing persons would go right on discussing the sunset, and each would feel confident that the other was sharing his experience and understanding what he was talking about.

Another point is that realized persons are able to perceive themselves and others directly with their innate transcendental senses. Such persons are not restricted to external observations of behavior. Thus, confirmation of higher states of consciousness is not limited simply to the subjective perception of each individual.

You are certainly correct in pointing out that there are many people who delude themselves and others by claiming to have attained various kinds of mystical realizations. But the existence of such cheating does not imply that a genuine science of higher consciousness is impossible. Such a science must indeed be based on verification of crucial observations by more than one person, but such verification is possible by realized persons.

Bhagavad-gita outlines a practical system for attaining higher realization. In this system the seeker of knowledge must take instruction from a realized soul [Bg. 4.34]. By following these instructions, the person’s higher cognitive faculties awaken by the grace of the Supreme [Bg. 10.10]. His realizations, however, can readily be evaluated by his teacher, who is fully capable of detecting mistakes and illusions. Furthermore, one can check the conduct of both teacher and disciple by consulting other self-realized souls and by referring to a standard body of authoritative literature. This system is like modern science in that the findings of individuals are scrutinised by their peers and evaluated in the context of standard knowledge.

Dr. Kutark: You have referred to the Supreme and to Superconsciousness. What do you mean by these terms? Also, just what does one realize by “awakening his higher cognitive faculties”? Can this realization be conveyed to a person whose experience is limited to the ordinary functioning of the five senses?

Dr. Avaroha: Bhagavad- gita explains that consciousness exists in two aspects, the infinite and the infinitesimal. The infinite consciousness is the very basis of reality and the ultimate source of all phenomena. According to Bhagavad-gita, this absolute consciousness is the Supreme Person, who is fully endowed with all personal attributes—such as senses, will, and intelligence—and who is known in the Vedic literature by many names, such as Krishna and Govinda. This is, of course, the same Supreme Being known as God in the Judeo-Christian tradition, or as Allah in Islam.

The infinitesimal aspect of consciousness consists of the innumerable atomic selves called jivatmas. We can illustrate the relation between atomic and infinite consciousness by a simple analogy. In classical physics we can fully characterize an electron as a minute charged particle that interacts in a certain way with an electromagnetic field. Similarly, we can understand the true character of the jivatma in terms of its natural interaction with the Supreme Person. Just as we can think of the electron as being defined by its interaction with an electromagnetic field, we can understand the jivatma as being defined by its personal interaction with the Supreme Conscious Being.

Thus, the final goal of self-realization is to attain this state of natural reciprocation with the Supreme. This mode of interaction is entirely personal, being based on the exchange of loving service. We get some hint of the quality of this exchange from the following characterization of the Supreme Person in the Brahma-samhita [5.38]:

premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hridayeshu vilokayanti
yam shyamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami


“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundara, Krishna Himself. with inconceivable, innumerable attributes. The pure devotees see Him in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.” Of course, we can attain full understanding of what this description means only by direct experience, just as we can understand the taste of a fruit only by actually eating it.

~end

Sadaputa Dasa studied at the State University of New York and Syracuse University and later received a National Science Fellowship. He went on to complete his Ph.D. in mathematics at Cornell, specializing in probability theory and statistical mechanics.
 
Aug 8, 2003
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#34
Y-S said:
I beleive that we as humans have a consicousness that upon body death, trancends along waves of energy that radiate from the earth... our souls get open channels to the current state of existence thru the memories they imprinted on other people.. so when time passes and those memories start to fade off they arent anchored down as much and are eventually released into the cosmos.. this 'parallel universe'-type of plane of existance is nothing more then an ethereal ocean.

:cool:
 

ThaG

Sicc OG
Jun 30, 2005
9,597
1,687
113
#35
n9newunsixx5150 said:
Christians refer to a "soul" as a spirit inhabiting a body. Comes from the whole, "God breathed into man the spirit of life and he became a living soul" bit.

What I refer to as the soul is simply the self, which, in my understanding, exists prior to and after any material body. The soul is eternal whereas the body is not.
yes, but it's your opinion and nobody ever reliably observed anything like this happening
 

ThaG

Sicc OG
Jun 30, 2005
9,597
1,687
113
#36
n9newunsixx5150 said:
This is like saying, "How can you be separate from your car? If the car has motor damage that causes it not to run anymore, isn't that proof enough that you are no different from your car?" In other words, just because damage to the physical brain results in inhibiting functions in mental and physical abilities does not therefore conclude that the self must boil down to some physical process. Of course, we have experience of people getting out of their cars. You may say that we don't have the experience of getting out of our bodies, but the point here is to show that just because damage is done to the vessel that alters the capacity one has acting in that vessel, that doesn't mean that the operator of the vessel has changed. I propose that the self (or soul) residing in the dog body or the tree body is the same type of self residing within the human body. Distinctions have to do with the body itself. A 100 watt light bulb installed in a closet or in a dining room - in both cases it is 100 watts - but each room has a different capacity to fill. No sane person says, "oh, the light in closet must be different grade than the light in dining room." So just as the soul fills to the capacity of different bodies, it also fills to the capacity of a damaged body.
OK, but even when I'm in my car, I can still be seen from outside, not to mention that both me and my car and entirely material, measaruble and observable....
 

ThaG

Sicc OG
Jun 30, 2005
9,597
1,687
113
#37
[ n a v ] said:
what about that mysterious weight that leaves the body when one dies...in the early 1900s Dr. Duncan MacDougall sought to measure the weight purportedly lost by a human body when the soul departed the body upon death. MacDougall weighed dying patients in an attempt to prove that the soul was material, tangible and thus measurable. Although MacDougall's results varied considerably from 21 grams, for some people this figure has become synonymous with the measure of a soul's mass
MacDougall weighed 6 (six) patients in 1907 and several dogs...

if you call this reliable data you have no idea how science works...

statisitcally meaningful data can be obtained only when your sample size is greater than 50, not to mention that nobody knows how exactly those measurements were taken....
 

ThaG

Sicc OG
Jun 30, 2005
9,597
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#39
[ n a v ] said:
i never did call it reliable data, i offered one example of a time in which measuring the energy was attempted.
I wanted a reliable and rigorous enough scientific study of the issue

and what is most important - one that yields positive results....
 
Nov 17, 2002
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#40
ThaG said:
yes, but it's your opinion and nobody ever reliably observed anything like this happening
Life as a fundamental principle makes more sense than postulating that all things boil down to some basic mechanical process and that material bodies move and interact on their own accord. We have no perpetual motion machine, and yet it is assumed that the universe is one big perpetual motion machine that, at some mature state, produces life and intelligence. I'll pass on that nonsense. We may observe or we may not observe. Our power of observation is imperfect because our senses are imperfect. Why rely on sense gratification to give all answers? For example, neither my seeing, hearing, touching, smelling or tasting abilities can experience or are aware of my conscious being, yet self is conscious of these senses and their abilities. Consciousness is the obvious master. That is the perfect scientific conclusion. To try and say that consciousness has origin in some physical process is ignoring that this alleged origin only ever interacts with an inferior set of senses.