Souls

All living organisms have souls. By this I mean ALL unicellular and multicellular organisms.

Plant cells also have souls. Plants include all fungal varieties.

IMO souls are a human creation and exist only in our minds. But it's a comforting thought.

Going on that premise, do the souls of humans exist only in our minds?

Of course. This is my opinion and it's up to each to decide what they believe in, but I believe that souls are born of a wish for immortality.

It is difficult to believe (my mind in not set either way i.e. mortality or no), that we, all of us here, are throw-aways -- no recycling.

In the great scheme of things, it is strange that all is for naught. We are puppets, perhaps?

I don't think we are puppets either, and I don't think our lives need meaning. I do think we are throw aways but would not characterize it as so. Life is grand and is worth the post mortem void.

I agree that "Life is grand and is worth the post mortem void," however, the intricacy of it all suggests more then a void being the ultimate end; and that takes us back to the question that could drive one crazy -- there had to be a beginning -- but noone can define it. Therefore how can we define an end?

Our tendency toward anthropomorphism (making our gods act as petty as we do and look like us), our desire to be immortal, our wish to undersatnd randomness, our wish to have a guardian and other human tendencies lead me to my conclusions. I have no proof but the burden of proof rests with those who propose a theory.

Of course, there is no proof -- but it is a wonderful subject to toss about...perhaps, hopefully, more views will come this way.

I'm sure that if people have souls, their pets do too.

Pets do not have souls.

ashes to ashes dust to dust, thats it folks, the meaning of life is to live it.

heartinuk

Your pets "soul" is your relationship to "life" with your pet "in mind".
So every familiar activity which you "shared" will have been defined in by your joint "presence". These definitions have a tendency to persist.

souls
The soul construct is very widespread, a way of explaining who it is that "goes places" when we are asleep in our beds, and most likely an attempt to perpetuate the ego, giving it a gaseous form that does not end. If we have souls, why not dogs, why not snails? There is no sound empirical argument for or against the belief in such. You choose to believe it or you don't. If I ever endorsed the notion, it would be for a universal "soul" (and the term would be used in a very tentative way). I would suggest that we do not HAVE souls but that we ARE souls, actually we are all facets of one universal soul. It is the soul of the cosmos, and we all have it. Perhaps this is what the Hindus mean by Brahma, and each individual manifestation of it is the Atman, but atman = brahma.
Or not.

I am sincerely hoping to be a butterfly in my
next visit around. A brief life, but one of
the most amazing transformation. Especially
if I were one of those gorgeous monarch
butterflies that are born each year in the
forest in Mexico's midlands. I love my cat Kita
- she loves me, if an animal ever loved someone -
I KNOW she loves me! She is a real someone
in there....exactly what that is, I don't know...but
she is precious and has been with me almost
10 years. I have 2 more new black cats that
The Cat Angels couldn't find homes for, so I
took them, and they have grown on me. They
are just babies, compared to Kita. She rules
the roost. It will deeply sadden me to lose her.
I actually got custody of her from my baby
daughter's 1st marriage. My BABY is now 31.

I loosely base this bit of philosophy from
the topic of physics, that energy can
neither be created nor destroyed, it can
only be transformed. So that is what I
figure happens to the energy that is me...
I become transformed, so naturally
does my pet Kita, and my other 2
Jetty, and Sadie.
PS. BE RESPONSIBLE-SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PETS@!

What is a soul? Anyone.

I think that immortal soul is specific for humans and no other living creature possesses it.