A question for the scientists again.?

Question

Thank you so much for your wonderful answers.

What I got is that the apes share a common ancestor with us. It could have been a polywog. From whatever it was, we branched out with the human branch eventually having a brain that evolved to include reasoning and consciousness.

Do you believe that we have a soul? If so, when did we "develop" this soul? Did the neanderthals have one do you think?

Personally, I think that anything that breathes has a soul.

I am just looking for your opinions here. Thanks in advance.

Andy, I think that consciousness you describe is as good as a soul.

Thank you so much. I asked for opinions and I am getting them



I do not think that there is a right or wrong answer here. None of us knows anything for sure.

Admiralbob - great answer. I learned something else new today.

Answer 1

I am quite convinced that Neanderthals had a soul, in both the anthropological and self-aware senses. There is an abundant evidence of ritual culture and altruism, the hallmarks of what makes humans human.

In the case of the former, there are Neanderthal pendants, flutes, and a crudely carved face. There is the evidence for ritual burial and grave goods, indicating a nascent spirituality.

In the case of altruism, we know that the remains of a few people have been found (the old man at Shanidar) where the individual was so badly crippled, he could not have cared for himself. Others clearly fed him and took care of him.

Neanderthals had larger brains than modern humans, and had all the anatomical features associated with speech, such as the enlarged hypoglossal canal, hyoid bone in the throat, and an enlarged Broca's brain area. Furthermore, certain technological practices of the Neanderthals (such as the making of birch pitch in the Harz mountains) clearly necessitate something approaching fully modern language.

As to how far back you have to go to find an ancestor who you would truly call human, that's a blurry line indeed. Even today we have talking primates (albeit with sign languages) who can express a fear of death. I'm not comfortable using scientific facts to draw where the dividing line should be (if there is one.)

Answer 2

Regarding your questions, I must contradict those who say they are outside the realm of science. In fact, your questions fit very well into the scientific field of Quantum Physics. That being the case, let's have a look at them from that specific area of study.

!) Do you believe that we have a soul?

I think the word "soul" is a more ancient way of describing consciousness. Regarding the consciousness of a human being, this is something that cannot be articulated or measured by any field of scientific study, including Quantum Physics. We can view the brain via PET scans and CAT scans, see the brain firing depending on specific stimulus but we have no idea, no means of measuring "who" or "what" is observing and acting upon this stimulus. Yet something is. "You" are. And here is where Quantum Physics has been looking and experimenting. So, given that something (consciousness) is in fact observing and acting upon any given stimulus, we indeed do have something that can be described by that arcane term, "soul."

2) If so, when did we "develop" this soul?

What has been discovered via Quantum Physics is that consciousness is in fact acting upon us at the cellular level. Consequently, the moment a cell is stimulated, it reacts and acts. Now we can argue about when the human being gets this soul but given what we know now, it must take place at the moment the genetic material from the mother and the father conjoin. Of course this new life is unable to exist outside the womb but by the criteria outlined via Quantum Physics, the fact that it is alive inside the womb is a strong indication that it is en-souled.

3) Did the neanderthals have one do you think?

If they lived, then they had a soul or consciousness. All sentient beings have this so all sentient beings have what you describe as a soul.

Life = Reality

Answer 3

I'm not sure what a soul is, since I do not believe in an afterlife.... this is sorta it. I get to use about $24 worth of chemicals for about 80 years. Some of my molecules were used by Beethoven, or have passed thru the kidneys of a whale (my dad's line). During these 80 years I hope to be happy, and make others happy. Soul? meaning that something lives beyond the time when my brain rots? uh, no.

Answer 4

This isn't a scientific question, primarily because it requires a way to test the presence of something that could be called a soul. At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that any part of the human personality, consciousness, or life can exist without the biological mechanisms to keep it functioning.

I was listening to a podcast called "Point of Inquiry" this weekend. They interviewed a British scientist named Susan Blackmore who has made it her life's work looking for signs of a soul. Her reasoning and research are imminently understandable. You can find some of her information at the following website. I think you'd get a lot out of listening to the podcast, too.

http://www.pointofinquiry.org/

.

Answer 5

Depends on what you consider a soul.

By the Christian way of thinking, a soul is divine. So in that aspect, the answer is no.

However, the human body is made up of energy (just as all things are, even matter). So, if you consider that its energy as a "soul" then perhaps.

However, if you define a soul as consciousness, unlikely.

Ghosts exist. I know because I've seen them. But they don't last forever. Eventually their energy dissipates. Its why there are no 2000 year old ghosts.

Personally, I'd be relucant to call that energy a soul because that implies some kind of divine connection. It's just energy.

Answer 6

>> It could have been a polywog.

Actually, those scientists like to call them Haplorrhini:
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplorrhini ). But yes. Common ancestor.

>> Do you believe that we have a soul?

No.

>> If so, when did we "develop" this soul?

That depends - do you think god uses the same nomenclature we do? Maybe you can consider when we became "homo sapiens sapiens" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_sapiens_sapiens ) that we gained the soul. You can see how this concept is ridiculous in the eyes of scientists considering they have a hard time drawing species lines amongst the continuous fossil line.

>> Did the neanderthals have one do you think?

I don't think anyone has souls, so no. If it makes you feel better, maybe you can consider whenever scientists drew the line for homo sapiens sapiens, we gained a soul.

Answer 7

If you start thinking of a "soul", then you are branching into the supernatural and the outside realms of science. You can ponder whether or not we have "souls" but I you'll probably going to end up in the same position of asking "Is there a God?" because the two apparently came together.
Or you can always redefine "soul" just like some people redefine "God" to fit their own description.

Answer 8

If you're truly asking scientists, and not just people who like science, then your answers should be something similar to "there is no evidence indicating the existence of a soul."

Do plants and bacteria have a soul?
If you want to believe in the supernatural (souls, spirits, ghosts) then that's your prerogative. It's my opinion (and experience) that basing my beliefs on reality has been a fine method.

Answer 9

When you clearly define what a soul is I will tell you if I believe we have one. Right now it is just a four letter word. People like to make up words without defining them, but it doesn't accomplish much.

I believe I know what "mind" means. Some People seem to use the word soul to mean something different than mind though. Other people seem to use the word soul to be the same as mind.

Mostly I believe people don't know what they are talking about when they use the word soul since they never seem to be able to clearly define what they mean.

Answer 10

This is for philosophers and theologians-by definition the soul is supernatural and outwith the boundaries of science. I personally believe we have a consciousness that survives eternally but I wouldn't describe it as a soul.