Even a short while ago, people spoke without embarrassment or affectation about their souls. Some remnants of their speech survive in expressions that are still quite common : Bless my soul : there wasn’t a soul to be seen : soul music : the soul of *****, and so on. But, to what extent is the soul still believed in? To what extent do we nowadays believe that there is a part of us that is not a material thing but a spiritual one? A non-material entity ; the opposite, as it were, to the material body. There are lots of ways of putting it without getting too technical.
When we say something like, “I have arms,” we must ask, Who is this “I” who possesses the arms? Or, when we say, “He has strong feelings,” we must ask, Who is this “he” who possesses the feelings? do we refer merely to the body? or to something else which is the essential person?
When we use those remnants of the older speech, such as Bless my soul, are we using the word soul with its original meaning? or as a metaphor which simply means the body? These are important questions, for the answers will have momentous practical consequences for all of us.
If we use the word soul to indicate some property or quality we possess that is not a material thing, then we open the possibility that there is a part of us that will never die. On the other hand, if we are purely material beings, then we are no more than perishable machines. And biological machines are, in principle, no different from the kinds of machines that we manufacture – cars, aeroplanes, and so on.
And, if we are just machines, is there any reason why we ought to value ourselves any more than we value any other animal? – or any car or aeroplane?
Jamie
Please allow me a small comment just on the last line.
The difference is Life [I decided to use the capital] but will close with that before someone wants to know or describe what life or Life is.
It’s sufficient for me to know that I live. I see no reason to try and describe or prove how it came about, when it starts or ends. I know I am not a rock or a piece of stainless steel because those things don’t have life.
Over to you.
Morning, Ike,
It seems to me that Life cannot be properly defined ; all we can do is talk about the kinds of things that accompany life. It is a mystery and so, thank goodness, most people still have a respect for it.
But once upon a time, leading thinkers, such as the Prophets, had just as much respect for inanimate things ; and the people learned to do more or less likewise. Now, the material world is ravaged and treated with disrespect. How long before life itself becomes a mere utility to be exploited?
Sometimes the misuse of science worries me.
Jamie
You say that “Sometimes the misuse of science worries me,” but there is science and there is science.
The electric light was produced by science when all science was good: so were many other things from which humans have benefitted.
I am horrified by the mumble jumble that is published in the name of science lately. Most of it is sheer nonsense. True science does not worry me but many so-called scientists scare the hell out of me. These guys who are going off the track on “stem cell research” are but some in this category.
“I know I am not a rock or a piece of stainless steel because those things don’t have life.”
Ike has summed it up in one sentence. The range of human emotions and the choices we can take are all from the soul. It is a pity there are a lot of bad souls out there who take the wrong path.
Thanks for provoking my thoughts, Jamie.
JW
Morning JW,
Yes, there are some pretty bad souls out there, and they contaminate all of us. I know it’s old fashioned to say so, but we are now well and truly into idolatry ; and that is just paganism.
Jamie
There you see; we are not alone. Thank you to theroyalist. I hope others will also participate here and in the other Posts that you are running concurrently.
Life is really such a clear phenomena; we should not clutter it up or confuse it with so-called science and the “quest for knowledge” that some claim to pursue.
What do you want to define life for? For what purpose under the sun do you need this so-called knowledge for? Life is glorious and divine. You may know that I will, God willing, reach my allotted three score and ten tomorrow. I am going to enjoy it.
Happy Birthday, Ike! I hope all your dreams come true today. I’ll crack open a pint of wine to celebrate.
I really don’t have a quarrel with people inquiring into any subject they choose. But the trouble comes when they actually use that knowledge to further their own ends. They try to improve on Nature, but succeed in doing damage to her.
Happy Birthday from me too, Ike.
I’m more commonly known as JW; The Royalist name change is a long story. Jamie’s posts are always stimulating reading and I find it hard to add significant input as his musings are so sound.
Jamie knows he is my favourite philosopher.
Ike, in view of what JW just said, I’ll open two pints of wine.
Thanks JM
I shall change the name and prefer it. Thanks also for your note on Jamie. He is my favorite too.
Thank you for talking on these inspired lines. “And, if we are just machines, is there any reason why we ought to value ourselves any more than we value any other animal? – or any car or aeroplane?” brings up such an important point. I love it!
On the other hand, I often contemplate how beautiful the quality of soul is, and appreciate the infinite ways to be soulful and soul-filled.
Hello bpmelody, and thank you for dropping in to my blog.
Yes, the quality of the soul is beautiful indeed ; perhaps, in fact, the soul is the source of all the beauty we can know about.
I find that the question of the soul is addressed in places you wouldn’t imagine, for example, Japanese sci fi anime.
Here’s a poem for you, titled “Mirrors”
Mirrors
Claimed not an instrument of enlightenment but illusion—
light skittering across the surface or sinking
into the silver backing, which
echoes the body, tracing its substance in distant matte fields
that are smooth and near featureless. Through space they reflect,
lose form, cleaving three dimensions into two,
snuggling gradations of shadow into line
until all that’s left is movement: a man walking through space
slowly, seeing the same event over and over:
the bird flying above becomes an oddly formed airplane,
mechanical, a headless angel, a feathered gull—he subsumes
flesh into thought and memory
reflects that the body’s beauty aligns itself with mirrors
and shiny surfaces, pools formed by rain
Hello Jaime,
I hope you’re keeping well and writing plenty.
I think of a mirror as being one of the wonders of the world, and one of its mysteries. Why do they exist at all? but where would we be without them? It seems that they cannot but lie to us, while at the same time we use them to help us see a truth about ourselves.
The mirror produces an image of myself ; an image which is present also in everybody who has seen me. Which thought immediately gives rise to the question, Which is the essential me? Then I’m soon into soul-talk.