Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Atheists & Agnostics

In reply to the discussion: Do we have souls? [View all]

Starboard Tack

(11,181 posts)
61. I feel pretty much the same way.
Tue Jan 17, 2012, 03:52 AM
Jan 2012

Creation makes no sense, so neither does a creator. I accept infinity as a physical reality, but impossible to comprehend. That's why we try to define everything, to help us cope with an infinite reality. Religion is one of the tools, but really it's just a form of denial.

I don't know if there is an afterlife, so to speak. I doubt it. But I do believe there are an infinite number of other dimensions/realities/parallel universes, call them what you want.

Ghosts are a whole other subject and, I think, can manifest in different ways, though not necessarily after death. But ectoplasm is definitely real IMO. But, like you, Ill put that back on the shelf for now.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Do we have souls? [View all] Starboard Tack Jan 2012 OP
yes barbtries Jan 2012 #1
"life would be so much harder if i didn't believe we'll be together again" awoke_in_2003 Jan 2012 #5
i did all that barbtries Jan 2012 #6
I hope you are right. ZombieHorde Jan 2012 #33
thank you, barbtries Jan 2012 #37
I don't believe in a soul as you define it FarCenter Jan 2012 #2
We have consciousness. Neoma Jan 2012 #3
I feel pretty much the same way. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #61
I think maybe... GliderGuider Jan 2012 #4
i like the way you put that. barbtries Jan 2012 #8
Deep meditation is like that Warpy Jan 2012 #11
Very well put. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #20
Humans (and possibly other semi-sentient animals) can believe anything if they want to bad enough. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #21
That's true. It's why I'm practicing the suspension of all belief and disbelief. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #38
I don't. laconicsax Jan 2012 #7
I have seen evidence on several occasions and in different ways Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #22
If you don't mind, would you care to tell us the nature of that evidence? laconicsax Jan 2012 #25
Apparently, Mr. Tack is unwilling to share his "evidence" with us. cleanhippie Jan 2012 #68
I have seen evidence on several occasions and in different ways AlbertCat Jan 2012 #71
I don't believe it because someone told me I had a soul. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #93
I don't believe it because someone told me I had a soul. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #114
"It's been drummed into you since birth." Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #119
A ghost, in my experience, is the manifestation of the soul in the form of ectoplasm. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #148
What would be your explanation? I didn't make it up. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #151
I think you just showed your hand, and you are pulling our chains here. Nice job. cleanhippie Jan 2012 #152
See my post #151 Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #154
"I am still highly skeptical of ghosts" - But that contradicts your statement that you DO believe in cleanhippie Jan 2012 #159
No, I was answering a question about the difference between ghosts and souls. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #163
I also do not think the soul is confined to human existence, but possibly is inherent to all things. cleanhippie Jan 2012 #150
Note, I said possibly. It's a thought. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #155
You seem to be moving the goalposts, ST. cleanhippie Jan 2012 #160
What extraordinary claims have I made? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #161
Hmm, let's see. cleanhippie Jan 2012 #162
I don't see anything extraordinary about any of that. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #164
Riiight. Ok then. cleanhippie Jan 2012 #165
I dunno, is there an invisible unicorn prancing around the moon? EvolveOrConvolve Jan 2012 #9
Humans may be temporary "creatures", but that is a limited definition Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #24
Personal experiences (or anecdotes) are not evidence EvolveOrConvolve Jan 2012 #27
When I look back over deep human history, GliderGuider Jan 2012 #46
I don't dismiss creativity or imagination EvolveOrConvolve Jan 2012 #100
No, you make sense - I get what you mean. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #108
But, shouldn't we be able have both? EvolveOrConvolve Jan 2012 #129
Indeed we should. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #133
Damn, I wish I'd said that. rrneck Jan 2012 #137
I said I have evidence, not proof. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #62
Evidence IS proof. You either have it, or you don't. cleanhippie Jan 2012 #69
I do not believe we have souls. Curmudgeoness Jan 2012 #10
Why do you think souls must be related to a god? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #26
The concept of a soul means a belief that there is something after death. Curmudgeoness Jan 2012 #30
I don't see the soul as something after death Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #81
There is that pesky word "spiritual". Curmudgeoness Jan 2012 #105
I don't believe we have souls either. onager Jan 2012 #43
You put your finger on it----- Curmudgeoness Jan 2012 #107
You can believe anything you want to, but your belief is baseless DavidDvorkin Jan 2012 #12
You believe that, do you? GliderGuider Jan 2012 #13
There is no reason to believe anything else. DavidDvorkin Jan 2012 #14
Could you define "reason" in your sentence above? GliderGuider Jan 2012 #16
"Reason" as in evidence, data DavidDvorkin Jan 2012 #17
Just so. n/t GliderGuider Jan 2012 #39
sums it up for me as well Armin-A Jan 2012 #29
I'm not talking about the brain. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #31
A lack of belief in fantastic claims doesn't require any evidence, it is the default condition. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #36
I think it is possible that some humans, or those who pose as humans, may not have souls. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #45
You really should look into Pyrrhonism. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #47
Interesting. Reminds me of Descartes. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #49
I doubt it. ZombieHorde Jan 2012 #15
If so, they are mortal. Deep13 Jan 2012 #18
It's what some call consciousness and feelings. Not me. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #85
Yup, across dimensions... Deep13 Jan 2012 #102
Do you really think you are aware of all dimensions? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #104
Sure. On our shoes. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #19
Why am I surprised that you would be so insightful? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #32
Because your expectations are low since few people are your intellectual equal, I imagine. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #35
And your shoes are fishy Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #86
I know, my wife sat on them. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #87
Disgustingly sexist. Are you in grade school? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #103
My wife is a guy...like me. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #124
Then why would you use such puerile mysoginistic humor? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #125
Congrats on the "puerile" wordsmithing. If you had spelled "misogynistic" correctly, Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #131
Thank dog. Ciao! Chow! Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #134
No Ron Obvious Jan 2012 #23
Why do we have to define a soul in that way? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #41
If you redefine the word "soul", then is it really still a soul? EvolveOrConvolve Jan 2012 #42
Nobody is throwing out the meaning. We're clarifying it. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #59
From whence did you copy and paste that? Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #88
It looks like it came from an Indonesian psychology paper published last year. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #89
Well golly, and to think I was skeptical... Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #90
Self-delete - wrong place GliderGuider Jan 2012 #94
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anima_and_animus Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #91
I should have guessed. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #92
Not much for depth psychology either, eh? GliderGuider Jan 2012 #96
So does melanoma. Wistful Vista Jan 2012 #98
Ah, but depth psychology can heal old wounds, rather than creating new ones... GliderGuider Jan 2012 #99
What's left Ron Obvious Jan 2012 #50
The soul is what's left Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #55
I don't know what you mean by a soul then. Ron Obvious Jan 2012 #97
The soul is an intangible entity Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #101
The soul is maybe one's essential character AlbertCat Jan 2012 #72
Yes. And it's constantly getting me into trouble rrneck Jan 2012 #28
I think that you are confusing soul with conscience, but Curmudgeoness Jan 2012 #34
The golden rule... rrneck Jan 2012 #40
I would buy that definition of a soul then. Curmudgeoness Jan 2012 #110
That sounds like mirror neurons in action. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #111
It's close but rrneck Jan 2012 #132
Why confusing soul with conscience? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #44
The problem is that religions have appropriated the concept of the soul so completely GliderGuider Jan 2012 #48
Funny, I never felt that the soul concept had been appropriated by religion Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #51
That's entirely as it should be IMO. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #64
You are still considering the soul to be existing separate from Curmudgeoness Jan 2012 #109
Yes, I believe each living being has a soul, or the potential to have a soul. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #112
I'm not sure I can adequately answer that question. rrneck Jan 2012 #135
+1 GliderGuider Jan 2012 #136
I'm with you there. It's a tough one to define. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #145
Not only is it imposdible to define rrneck Jan 2012 #146
I think the seed of doubt was planted in me OriginalGeek Jan 2012 #52
My point is, you can be godless, but still have soul. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #56
Yes I think I understand your point OriginalGeek Jan 2012 #58
I don't know if it continues after the body dies. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #60
. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #63
I am not even gonna pretend I can understand that kind of pain OriginalGeek Jan 2012 #73
That's fine but I don't really see it as a path. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #77
One does not depend on the other. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #75
This would probably be better discussed in Religion. onager Jan 2012 #53
Religion is a group now. laconicsax Jan 2012 #54
I do not associate having or recognizing one's soul with religion Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #57
Thank you. i_sometimes Jan 2012 #67
To my half cup of coffee eyes later, still full of stupid. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #76
My concept of soul has no bearing on anything I was told. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #79
My concept of soul has no bearing on anything I was told. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #115
Are you just here to insult and disrupt? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #123
Are you just here to insult and disrupt? AlbertCat Jan 2012 #138
Honestly no, I'm always puzzled by the concept of souls, they seem contradictory... Humanist_Activist Jan 2012 #65
No. Iggo Jan 2012 #66
Do we have souls? AlbertCat Jan 2012 #70
Question - Do you accept infinity? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #82
Or do you believe existence itself is finite? AlbertCat Jan 2012 #116
I asked if you thought existence itself was finite, not your existence. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #122
Do you think all other existence ceases when you die? Simple question. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #139
If you want to have a discussion with me I'll be happy to oblige. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #144
No PVnRT Jan 2012 #74
What are souls exactly? Why should we have them? What are the indications that we do/do not? dmallind Jan 2012 #78
If you have one, you'll know what it is, though I doubt you'll be able to adequately describe it. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #83
Looking for the soul in neuroscience is like looking for the stars at noon. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #117
Knowing where something is and seeing it are two different things. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #121
Knowing where something is and seeing it are two different things. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #140
No frogmarch Jan 2012 #80
You may well be correct. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #84
I've been thinking some more about how I experience that "soul-sense" GliderGuider Jan 2012 #95
Very well put. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #106
Endorphins will do that to you. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #118
Interesting you should mention acid. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #120
"Have you ever experienced anything you would call a soul?" AlbertCat Jan 2012 #141
One great disservice (among many) that religion did for humanity GliderGuider Jan 2012 #147
I have seen no evidence of a soul uriel1972 Jan 2012 #113
Do you only believe what can be proven by empirical evidence? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #126
You ask that as if it's a bad thing EvolveOrConvolve Jan 2012 #127
How do you arrive at that concusion from a simple question? Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #128
Because I've seen the question too many times to count EvolveOrConvolve Jan 2012 #130
How do you arrive at that concusion from a simple question? AlbertCat Jan 2012 #142
Ah, I see. Different rules for different people Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #143
knowing what is real, like my own eyes, my own ears, AlbertCat Jan 2012 #149
"How am I to take someone who thinks ectoplasm is real seriously?" cleanhippie Jan 2012 #153
When four people witness the same event, I give it some credibility. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #156
When four people witness the same event, I give it some credibility. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #157
We were not disposed to see the event. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #158
Sometimes I wonder if simply random dna can account for all of the differences lindysalsagal Jan 2012 #166
I'm sure lots of truths have been discovered by wondering. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #193
Our brains are information-processing organs, not supernatural radio receivers. n/t backscatter712 Jan 2012 #167
I agree Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #168
Why do you think these concepts have nothing to do with our brain power? darkstar3 Jan 2012 #169
Because that would exclude those with diminished brain power Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #170
Uh huh...Have you ever dealt with a relative darkstar3 Jan 2012 #171
Have I ever dealt with such things? Unfortunately, yes. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #172
That's a treacle-sweet phrase, "his soul is untouched and shines through..." darkstar3 Jan 2012 #173
Some of us see things that others don't. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #176
Some of us see things that aren't there, like ghosts and demons. darkstar3 Jan 2012 #177
Not everything that exists is quantifiable. Feelings and thoughts, ideas, concepts e.g. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #178
True, however that which you can see generally is. darkstar3 Jan 2012 #180
If it was legal would you be interested? GliderGuider Jan 2012 #182
Since you're jumping in here, perhaps you can answer the question darkstar3 Jan 2012 #183
What does "see beyond brain chemistry" mean? GliderGuider Jan 2012 #184
So you don't have an answer. darkstar3 Jan 2012 #185
No, I don't. Not one that will satisfy you. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #186
That's because your frame of reference is made up of much that is made up. darkstar3 Jan 2012 #187
Some of us see things that others don't. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #188
But the ONLY place your sense of self and consciousness resides is your brain. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #190
You realize that's the God of the Gaps argument, right? darkstar3 Jan 2012 #194
More like the soul alongside argument Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #195
Your two arguments take advantage of the same logical fallacy, darkstar3 Jan 2012 #196
Yes. backscatter712 Jan 2012 #174
Many believe as you do. Maybe you're right. Maybe not. I think not. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #179
I think not. AlbertCat Jan 2012 #189
I'm somewhat familiar with Pinker, but haven't read his books. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #191
There may be "Two Solitudes" at work here. GliderGuider Jan 2012 #175
Brilliantly put, my friend. Your insight is inspirational. Starboard Tack Jan 2012 #192
As far as I can tell, no. I am willing to be persuaded otherwise if verifiable, repeatable evidence Jean V. Dubois Jan 2012 #181
Latest Discussions»Alliance Forums»Atheists & Agnostics»Do we have souls?»Reply #61