The 'SOUL'. What is it?

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

Answer my question first.

I've answered your question, Olivier...several of them.

Answer mine.

"I believe there is a GOD." Blind guess or not?

"I believe there are no gods." Blind guess or not?

1 Reply

@Frank Apisa,

You haven't answered anything, Frank. You are scared.

1 Reply

@Frank Apisa,

Frank Apisa wrote:

Actually, I said it is based on experience. And it is. If you are raised a Catholic...the experience will tend to dispose you to guessing that there is a GOD.

But if you say, "I believe there is a GOD"...THAT IS A BLIND GUESS...despite the fact that experience has come into play.

If you think "I believe there is a GOD" is not a blind guess...

...explain why you think it is not.

'
Quote:
What's more, you don't address why you dismiss these considerations.

What do you mean by that?

You accept experience as a criteria in regard to peoples' beliefs about things like future super bowl winners and crossing intersections--you don't call these beliefs blind guesses, but you don't accept experience as a criteria in regard to peoples' beliefs about god. You call these blind guesses. Why is that?

2 Replies

@InfraBlue,

But isn't reality part and parcel of that "blind guess?"

It was a blind guess when I got married because I really didn't know how my marriage would turn out. It was a blind guess when I decided to get my college degree. All those decisions I made while at work were all blind guesses, but luckily they turned out to be pretty accurate.

It was a blind guess when I decided to become an atheist. All those journeys I took around the world were all blind guesses. I never really planned them, but I was able to travel around the world many times over visiting all five continents and 90 unique countries.

My blind guesses turned out pretty well if I say so myself! Mr. Green

How did your blind guesses turn out?

BTW, is there any difference between a 'blind guess' and an 'educated guess?'

Or all guesses blind?

0 Replies

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

You haven't answered anything, Frank. You are scared.

You do not scare me, Olivier. You amuse me. Wink

By the way...I do not blame you for ducking my questions!

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

InfraBlue wrote:

Frank Apisa wrote:
Actually, I said it is based on experience. And it is. If you are raised a Catholic...the experience will tend to dispose you to guessing that there is a GOD.

But if you say, "I believe there is a GOD"...THAT IS A BLIND GUESS...despite the fact that experience has come into play.

If you think "I believe there is a GOD" is not a blind guess...

...explain why you think it is not.

'
Quote:
What's more, you don't address why you dismiss these considerations.

What do you mean by that?

You accept experience as a criteria in regard to peoples' beliefs about things like future super bowl winners and crossing intersections--you don't call these beliefs blind guesses, but you don't accept experience as a criteria in regard to peoples' beliefs about god. You call these blind guesses. Why is that?

So are you saying you also are of the opinion that the experience and calculations that go into trying to predict the winner of the Super Bowl in February...

...are the same kind of things the people who claim "There is a GOD" are considering.

C'mon. Get with it, Blue.

1 Reply

@Frank Apisa,

Yes, I scare the **** out of you Frank, since you run away from my points... You're scared of the others too, blue etc, since you run away from their points.

You're a coward, and I never beat up a man on the ground... I'm done with you. Lie all you like.

1 Reply

I think that the proper question to ask is not What is the soul? It's What do you mean by soul?

1 Reply

@Frank Apisa,

If they're both based on experience, I don't see the difference, and you haven't explained any difference.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

I also value humans above flies - But this is a subjective opinion - It does not mean that humans are more valuable than flies.
In fact - Were it not for flies (mosquitoes and the like (Or is it 'mosquitos'? - Trivial) Humans would have likely been extinct (via overpopulation/resource depletion) by now.
Long live the fly! Say I, Say I!
Sorry... poetic-licence-mode.

1 Reply

@JLNobody,

I spent my whole life accepting the 'soul' as a metaphysical, yet essential, characteristic, JL.
So I know 'what is meant' by 'soul.
Now, having realised there is no reason for metaphysical non-properties (Other than to subdue absolutes) - I ask, but one thing, in relation to this topic 'What' is it?

0 Replies

@mark noble,

Why of course, it's subjective. Flies value their own folks more than us, I would think. And yes, every species is important in the grand scheme of things.

Coming back to soul, maybe it is precisely what you are trying to protect when opting to not make an animal suffer. You said you could throw a stone in the sea but not an animal.

"Animal" comes from Latin "Anima", which mean.... "soul". An animal is, etymologically, a soul.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

Yes, I scare the **** out of you Frank, since you run away from my points... You're scared of the others too, blue etc, since you run away from their points.

I respond to all of your questions...and to Blue's.

You are much too amusing for me to be scared of you. Nobody can be afraid of someone they are laughing at. Keep dreaming.

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/laughing/crying-with-laughter.gif

Quote:

You're a coward, and I never beat up a man on the ground... I'm done with you. Lie all you like.

You are going to "run away" again???

You do this every time you get into a slugging match with me...and realize you are getting hammered all over the place. But then you keep coming back.

Ya gotta learn to stay away BEFORE getting the crap kicked out of ya.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTKz04TPyR0RIe1Xh_9Iy73OFdRJrbl23h_Yn7u35on8o4ZXNpEA

0 Replies

@Olivier5,

I'm not a Roman.
I only use the term 'animal' in the 'anima/animated' sense.
To me an animal is an animal - Not a plant, mineral, gas, liquid, plasma, thermodynamic particle.
You know what I mean, Oliver - Semantic-wordplay is a pointless avenue to pursue in an abstract-debate.

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

InfraBlue wrote:

If they're both based on experience, I don't see the difference, and you haven't explained any difference.

I have explained it several times, Blue.

What I said originally was: I use the words "reality" (and "know") differently in different circumstances and contexts.

I have explained why I do...and how I do.

But you and OLivier are not actually interested in that (which is a logical thing to do...and probably something you and he do also)...

...you are more interested in this game you are playing.

Why don't you show that you are above just playing the game...and actually tackle the questions I asked several times, but you have avoided?

Then we might be able to go back and I can further clarify my explanation on this thing you are suggest is important to you.

1 Reply

@mark noble,

Has Avicenna's flying man experiment been mentioned yet? Just quickly, this thought experiment involves a man who has been floating in the air since birth, and his head has always been at the same angle so that he has never seen any part of his body. Avicenna claimed that he would still be aware that a non-physical part of him existed, whether that's the mind/soul or whatever, despite him never being made aware of the concept of 'physical'.
I'm not sure if I'm convinced by his conclusion that this is evidence for the existence of the soul. Does this add anything or is that just me burbling?

2 Replies

@mark noble,

You asked "What is the soul?". This asks for a sort of definition... I'm not playing word games, just saying the etymology can be useful there. In this case it shows that some influential cultures have taken "the soul" to mean "life", or the hypothetical individual principle that "animates" each "animal".

My point was that your idea of not generating sufferings to animals implies that there is something more to animals than just material structure. They have a capacity to feel things in a very personal way. And we can emulate what they feel through empathy because we share with them a similar capacity. I personally call that the "self", not the "soul", but it is something important, worthy of respect I think.

1 Reply

@PhilipOSopher,

Is that idea similar to cogito ergo sum?

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This analogy is a wild attempt to describe the difference between spirit, soul and body, when using the Bible as the reference:

The spirit is the electric current, the printer is the body, and the soul is when the printer is connected to the electric power and is turned ON so it becomes "alive".

Each printer has its own characteristics, and you can recognize their DNA by analyzing the printed pages, which by experience, each printer regardless of their similarity, print different one from another.

1 Reply

@PhilipOSopher,

People don't float.
Being consciously aware of oneself doesn't mean there is any need for a (What is it?) soul.
"Identity" is fine by me - No need to alter the term.

1 Reply

The 'SOUL'. What is it?

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