Various questions on the nature of souls/human life

[blase6]

How can a human being incapable of rational thought (babies, the mentally disabled) have a rational soul? If, as a baby, I lacked the self-awareness I have now, what does that mean about the state of my soul at that time?

If technology could succeed in engineering animal life to produce an organism with the intelligence and capabilities of human beings, would that organism have a rational soul? With or without the use of human DNA?

If technology could succeed in creating biological life from scratch, would it be equivalent to plant/animal/human life?

If technology could succeed in causing a human mother to conceive a non-human animal (NOT altering a human embryo) would it have a human soul? What about the reverse, if an animal could conceive a human life?

If technology could succeed in causing the conception of a human being entirely lacking sexuality (again, NOT altering a human embryo) what would that mean for that person’s existence/soul?

 

[utunumsint]

How can a human being incapable of rational thought (babies, the mentally disabled) have a rational soul? If, as a baby, I lacked the self-awareness I have now, what does that mean about the state of my soul at that time?

The human soul, in Catholic teaching, is created immediately by God at the time of conception. The human embryo has an essence that includes the potential for arms, legs, eyes, ears, nose, internal organs, brain, intellect, and will. As it develops, its potential will become actual. However, in some situations, something goes wrong. There is a developmental defect or deformation. But just because they do not have an arm or a leg or because they have some kind of brain defect, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a human soul. That just means they have a disability. Self awareness is just a precondition for having the power of reason. But that does not mean the baby or the mentally disabled person does not have a human soul - It just means that the baby does not have the power to make informed decisions for which they are responsible for. They are in a state that would make them free from personal sin.

If technology could succeed in engineering animal life to produce an organism with the intelligence and capabilities of human beings, would that organism have a rational soul? With or without the use of human DNA?

I can’t say. That is a question that depends on issues in philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and theology. For example, what does it mean that God creates the human soul immediately at conception? The human soul is the only soul created for the sake of knowing and loving God. In order to do that, the human soul needs intellect (to know) and will (to love).

Personally, I believe that any intelligent life would have the ability to know and love God.

If technology could succeed in creating biological life from scratch, would it be equivalent to plant/animal/human life?

Plant or animal life shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Human life would be another issue.

If technology could succeed in causing a human mother to conceive a non-human animal (NOT altering a human embryo) would it have a human soul? What about the reverse, if an animal could conceive a human life?

What makes a human soul special is the ability of will and intellect. It we just redefine human soul as a willing and intellectual soul, I think that would work. An intellect is designed to know truth. Truth is a transcendental and is convertible to being and goodness. These are all attributes of God knowable from natural theology. It would certainly be very strange if there was an intellect that was not geared towards truth.

If technology could succeed in causing the conception of a human being entirely lacking sexuality (again, NOT altering a human embryo) what would that mean for that person’s existence/soul?

Nothing. It is just a violation of the embryo’s right to a natural father and mother. It certainly involves sin for the scientists involved, the mother who provided the embryo, and the father who provided the sperm. But the resultant child is free from personal sin in the matter.

God bless,
Ut

 

[NeedImprovement]

. . . If technology could succeed in creating biological life from scratch, would it be equivalent to plant/animal/human life? . . .

It might be interesting to know what is implied/meant by both “creating” and “from scratch” in this particular instance.

The primary definition of “from scratch” in the Oxford Dictionary is, “from the beginning.”

The primary meaning of “create” as defined in the Oxford Dictionary is to “bring (something) into existence.”

As far as I know , God is the only one who can create out of nothing; who can bring something into existence. In this more restricted, purist sense, man does not create. Man can engineer, invent, discover etc, but the closest man (and woman) can ever come to actually “creating” is when he/she , they, co-create a human life with God.

“From the beginning”. . . ? . . . , I am reminded of this- (highlights mine)

NAB John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

[midori]

How can a human being incapable of rational thought (babies, the mentally disabled) have a rational soul? If, as a baby, I lacked the self-awareness I have now, what does that mean about the state of my soul at that time?

How about when you were a preschooler? Or a kindergartener? What kind of things did you think about? What did you imagine? What were you frustrated by? What did you like to do? What could you not get enough of?

Then, what about when you were in third grade? In junior high? In high school? How about when you were 18? When you were 21? And however many points in between?

Your 18-year-old self was not the same as your 5-year-old self, and it’s not the same as your current self. Each one has different priorities, different experiences, different perspectives. You mature over time-- but your value as a person doesn’t hinge on how long you’ve occupied space on the planet, how well you control language, how good your judgment is, how much self-control you have, or how well-thought-out your choices are. Because if we start valuing people according to their good decision making skills, there are a whole lot of adults out of luck…!

Your value as a human being is intrinsic. It’s not linked to your value as a spouse/child/parent/grandparent, or your value as a taxpayer, or your value as a student, or your value as an employee. If you start linking your value to the excellence of your contributions to society… there’s another batch of adults out of luck…!

How is your self-awareness about your soul right now? How often do you think about your soul? If you do wrong, do you instantly feel, “Hey, I’m separating myself from God!” or “I’m driving a wedge between myself and those around me!” or do you feel, “Um, I’m tired and I don’t feel like performing my obligations. I think I’ll be a little selfish today.” Are you able to regularly perceive the repercussions of your smallest actions on those around you, and act accordingly? Or do you act without thinking? Are you able to perceive the interconnectedness of all creation? Or do you just think you’re you, and you’re independent, and whatever you do or don’t do generally doesn’t affect other people at all? Self-awareness is a whole lot more than just knowing, “Hey, these are my fingers and toes” or “I need to keep my mouth shut so I don’t drool”.

There are very, very, very few people who are truly self-aware. Most people are very much limited by their senses. Experiences with things beyond that aren’t things you can just do because you feel like it, or because you’re awesome, or because you’re more special than the next guy. But when you brush into Experiences, it humbles you enough to see how truly small you are— and how it’s perfectly possible that the smallest infant, or a mentally disabled individual, may well have more Awareness than I do.

 

[Nurabsal]

How can a human being incapable of rational thought (babies, the mentally disabled) have a rational soul? If, as a baby, I lacked the self-awareness I have now, what does that mean about the state of my soul at that time?

A being which has a rational soul is rational in kind, not necessarily rational in immediate effect. We say, for instance, that you are still a rational being when asleep or when you are comatose. Another example would consider the joke definition of man as a “featherless biped.” Even a man who has lost his legs is naturally a biped. Although you may have incidentally lost use of the power, it is a power which is intrinsic to the kind of thing that you are, viz. a rational, thinking human.

If technology could succeed in engineering animal life to produce an organism with the intelligence and capabilities of human beings, would that organism have a rational soul? With or without the use of human DNA?

The answer to this question would need to consider the details of a given case. It reminds me of the monster Adam attempting to persuade Dr. Frankenstein that he has been endowed with a soul. Dr. Frankenstein is skeptical, of course, because he remembers creating the creature with his own hands.

Assuming that the creature does in fact have the power of intelligence, he must have a rational soul capable of intellection. The question, therefore, would be whether he really does have that power of intellection, and that is an “epistemological” question. We know that humans are intellectual through acts that require the ability to understand, i.e., the pursuit of philosophy and mathematics. Simulated understanding – such as that performed by computers – will not do the trick, because it is limited by its own circuitry. If a creature understands, it most likely has a rational, and therefore immaterial, soul.

If technology could succeed in creating biological life from scratch, would it be equivalent to plant/animal/human life?

The answer to this question is again a little muddy. This regards what you mean by “equivalent.” All living things are animated, i.e., they have some power of self-movement that differentiates them from rocks and minerals. If manmade life has such an animating principle, rather than simulating animation, it would be equivalent in substance to a living thing.

If technology could succeed in causing a human mother to conceive a non-human animal (NOT altering a human embryo) would it have a human soul? What about the reverse, if an animal could conceive a human life?

Again, this depends on the details of a case. Were this to happen, we would have to take a look at how the nonhuman creature acts. The answer depends on the nature of the creature rather than its geographic placement inside of a human. If the nonhuman creature understands, it has a rational soul.

If technology could succeed in causing the conception of a human being entirely lacking sexuality (again, NOT altering a human embryo) what would that mean for that person’s existence/soul?

I’m not really sure what this question is asking.

 

[grannymh]

How can a human being incapable of rational thought (babies, the mentally disabled) have a rational soul?

It is the spiritual rational soul which animates matter.

 

[grannymh]

? If, as a baby, I lacked the self-awareness I have now, what does that mean about the state of my soul at that time?

Before the Sacrament of Baptism, the state of the soul is a deprivation of Original Holiness and Justice.

 

[grannymh]

If technology could succeed in engineering animal life to produce an organism with the intelligence and capabilities of human beings, would that organism have a rational soul?

No.

 

[grannymh]

If technology could succeed in causing the conception of a human being entirely lacking sexuality (again, NOT altering a human embryo) what would that mean for that person’s existence/soul?

Technology is not equal with the Divine Creator God.

 

[edwest2]

A soul is purely spiritual and is created by God. So even if a person is born with physical or mental defects that leave that person with the mind of a 5 year old throughout their life, they still have a soul.

Genetic engineering can be good or done by someone with a deficient understanding of the value of each human beings. Designing life from scratch is impossible.

Ed