Zone1 Do animals have souls?

[Carl in Michigan]

Yeah, I didn't say this in my post to Chuz, but I agree that we are 3 parts (tripartite).... body, soul and spirit. Some people combine the soul and the spirit and use those words interchangeably. But I believe they are two different things.

I always thought of the soul as the "software", the body as the "hardware".... and the spirit as the life, or "electricity." But I'm still open to learning about this topic, because it's very interesting to me.

There is clearly something more to sentient life than mere robotic programming, and that includes both human and at least higher animal life. Right now we can only guess how it all works. Eventually all will be revealed.

 

[Chuz Life]

I don't think you actually disbelieve in the existence of a soul, because the soul is just our mind, will and emotions. So unless you're saying that those things don't exist, what you're questioning is the existence of an immortal soul, or a soul that continues on after one's physical body dies.

Both really.

Semantically, I can see how a group of traits (like you decribed) can be lumped together and be called a "soul."

I believe traits exist. 100%

And semantically, if the definition of a soul is "this group of traits" ot "a group of traits?" I can see how someone might believe it so, even though it wouldn't answer the question of whether a child born with anencephalia (no frontal cortex) has a "soul" or not.

And that would have to be proven first and then we get into the "soul" living beyond and without the body stuff.