What do you understand by this clause?

Question

He gave them speech, and they became souls.
-by Alfred North Whitehead from Modes of Thought
(Meaing of the sentence was much profound and contextual so just wanted your explanations.)

Animals do not have souls?(This is something new for me)

if they really dont. How do man, evolved from animals(apes), can have?

Answer 1

I expect the author is referring to the moment that life begins with a soul. Animals do not have souls. they may 'think' , and react (You can teach them tricks) but do not have intimate and deep communication skills.

Mr Whitehead is assuming that the soul derives from the ability to communicate with thousands of thoughts and ideas.

I have another opinion: I believe that the God of the universe, the Creator, gave souls to people so that He could have fellowship with us. He made us "in His image" the Bible says in Genesis.

Keep thinking deep thoughts

Answer 2

Well, my take on it is that speech gives us the means for communication, something that only higher beings of intelligence have. And with that higher intelligence, we have creativity, a means of expression, a means to think heavy thoughts like these.

So how was that? Totally off-base? :)

Answer 3

yes,...u are right--the meaning is much more deep....

i'll give you some quick points about it---
here,..'speech' has been taken to be the language that we speak,..i mean -it shows and signifies intelligence, a means of communication that only higher beings can have, speech--every animal has....but every animal does not have language...its only the humans who have it.
here--- 'souls' has not been taken in its literal meaning.
it means the presence of character in the body...
i think this has been said in accord to some matters like public justice or something....
that he gave them this means of communication --meas he enbled ,strengthened,encourage them to speak up to unjustice towards them
and they became souls---means they became humans,..i mean if they bore inhumane conditions of work---it wouldnt have been human ,...souls n minds who had self respect,self esteem,righteousness in them.

hope this helped