Fact and a little science fiction - related to the concept of the "soul"

[Andreas_Hofer]

Hitetlen:

Thank you for the clarification. Of course I would love to see a definition of “spiritual soul”, and why is it assumed that humans have one.

Unfortunately, I do not have a good enough grounding in philosophy to make a good explanation of it for you. I’ll try to put out what snippets I think I have picked up.

Speaking in Aristotelian terms, the soul is not the center of rationality as we commonly think of it, or the seat of the self, but rather the general “life principle” or animating principle of living things. Perhaps, although I only speculate, it could be considered to supply the form to the matter of a living body. The soul of animals is not rational, as a man’s, but, if IIRC, sensual, as it is still the locus of sensory perception and primitive emotion while lacking an ability to reason.

Humans, on the other hand, possess spiritual souls in the sense that God and angels are pure spirit. This soul is eternal, made for life with God. As such, when the human body dies or is destroyed, the soul does not cease to be - it outlives the body. Human persons, though, are only truly complete when comprised of soul AND body, and the souls of men will be reunited with resurrected bodies at the end of the world.

I know that’s just a rough outline and I know enough to know that I don’t know very much at all when it comes to metaphysics, so I could be wrong. But hopefully that gives you a beginning idea of what’s involved.

 

[Brendan]

Andreas is correct. The presence of a soul is what distinguishes living matter from non living matter.

All living creatures have a soul. The soul of plants and animals ceases at the end of their earthly existance.

One of the falicies of the orginal argument is that ‘brain’ somehow equals ‘person’

A person is a Moral entity, capible of moral actions. What you described in the brain transplant scenario is two seperate persons.

And yes, they would have seperate souls. The creation of a new soul is hardly unique in science.

Scientists instigate the creation of a new soul in invitro fertilization, for example, or culture bactieria. Farmers do so when they husband animals.

It evens happens when a doctor does a biopsy. The tissue sample removed is no longer animated by the persons soul, but then by it’s own vegatative soul.

Anytime a seperate living being is established, a new soul is created along with it.

Some, like the Farmer or the Doctor, or the Scientist culturing bacteria are perfectly licit and in accord with God’s Plan. Others, like the in vitro fertilization or the operation you describe, are immoral and illicit.