Do animals have souls?

[rottenugly]

I was watching a video by the Amazing Atheist, I think it was called "Can dogs have souls?" and I don't have a dog, so I have never "loved" a dog as a pet, but I have a cat...My cat licks me and lays with me when I am off to bed sometimes, and if he were a person, that would be just as effective as someone kissing my cheek, same purposes, same amount of love and respect. My cat catches a dead baby mouse and plays with it, just like how a child would play with a toy as his family stares. My cat broke his leg or foot accidentally in 2006, and he would limp as he walked, you could tell he was in pain...When someone breaks their foot or leg, they limp, but sometimes they have crutches, so they don't walk and limp and further damage the wound.

When you pet a cat's head, he closes his eyes and shows an obvious sign of love and desire to be pet and loved, humans and cats are no different, all mammals have the same missions in life; which is to produce and spread their seed around to make the world grow in population.

Can animals have souls?

[Eulogy]

souls are made up

[Future Boy]

only the cute ones

[reprise85]

if humans have souls than so do other animals

but yeah, they are made up

[Order 66]

in a jungian context the mind is the soul or 'spirit' so technically they do have them. its just not self aware

christ i'm bored

[Toby]

I was a squirrel in a past life, so yeah.

[killtrocity]

if animals did not have souls then they could not be soul trapped, so obviously they have them

[reprise85]

elders scrolls logic win

[redbreegull]

humans do not have souls

[dean_r_koontz]

obviously the people in here who claims to definately know that pets have no souls are talking out of their ass. it might seem likely to us but we can't know for sure. instead of soul let's talk about consciousness, that's more interesting. When does a neural network produce a counsciousness? how advanced does it have to be? does a squirrel have a consciousness? does a dog? does a fish have a consiousness and so forth. the answer is that science can't answer that question and perhaps it never will!!!

[Cool As Ice Cream]

great answer!!!

[slunken]

THE BIRDHOUSE OF THE GODS!!!

[Shallowed]

Originally Posted by dean_r_koontz

the answer is that science can't answer that question and perhaps it never will!!!

Just because science cannot prove that something does not exist, doesn't mean that it defaults to existing. The whole burden of proof thing is partly why mock-deities like The Flying Spaghetti Monster and The Invisible Pink Unicorn are born.

You're probably being facetious, but ah well.

[dean_r_koontz]

i haven't claimed that it defaults to existing dummy. ya dofus.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

exactly.

[Dead Frequency]

Oh word?

[Cool As Ice Cream]

WORD! YA DOOFUS!

[MyOneAndOnly]

there is no such thing as "souls".

the only true life is the life of the mind. when the mind ceases it's all over.

[teh b0lly!!1]

i was just reading this today
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person

pretty interesting to see that it exists in nearly all animals as well

[Cool As Ice Cream]

SCOTTY DOESNT HAVE A SOUL
WAY TO BREATHE, NO BREATH!

[The Jesus]

Yes they do.

[reprise85]

Originally Posted by dean_r_koontz

instead of soul let's talk about consciousness, that's more interesting. When does a neural network produce a counsciousness? how advanced does it have to be? does a squirrel have a consciousness? does a dog? does a fish have a consiousness and so forth. the answer is that science can't answer that question and perhaps it never will!!!

i've heard people argue that 'consciousness' begins when you are aware you can die and know the concept of death. so sentience basically. are they aware they have a life? do they feel complex emotions? of course no one knows. but unless we are talking about the jungian concept of the soul, as previously mentioned, the existence of souls according to webster's is:

1.
the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.

nope, doesn't exist

2.
the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come: arguing the immortality of the soul.

nope

3.
the disembodied spirit of a deceased person: He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him.

nope

4.
the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments.

okay here is where we are coming to jungian definitions and i would agree at least some animals have souls, although i don't know how many are capable of sentiments

5.
a human being; person.

irrelevant to this discussion.


consciousness, then, is indeed a much more interesting concept in this case. do simpler forms of life than animals have any consciousness?

[PkPhuoko]

boston terriers do

[killtrocity]

a thing that cannot be defined exists if we can demonstrate that the world would not function normally if we removed, ie "quality", "consciousness"

people and animals transcend the atoms and tissues which comprise them. humans to a greater degree but that's really what we're talking about here, something which transcends not only the gross realm but the mental as well

[teh b0lly!!1]

ew realm lol

[teh b0lly!!1]

this thread is now about people with weird beards

http://files.myopera.com/bskushwah/a...025/beard7.jpg

[MyOneAndOnly]

Originally Posted by killtrocity

people and animals transcend the atoms and tissues which comprise them. humans to a greater degree but that's really what we're talking about here, something which transcends not only the gross realm but the mental as well

what is that supposed mean?

you ARE the matter that composes you. you are a blood and bone filled sack of chemical reactions. you are atoms that were created inside stars, that shot out into space, condensed into a planet and eventually became organized into organisms.

that's all you are. and it's likely that you aren't even unique in the universe, since there are more planets than there are stars. just because you feel special because you can comprehend the expanse of time and space and you have a hard wired predispostion toward regliosity, doesn't mean that your consciousness "transcends" your physical existance. it does not. you are the sum total of your genes and experiences and you have a short shelf life.

enjoy what you have now. cause that's all there is for you. Unless you can take solace in the realization that your molecules and atoms will be recycled into the earth's biosphere countless times before our Sun finally goes supernova, and blasts all your electrons and protons back out into space one more time....

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally Posted by scottytheoneand

what is that supposed mean?

you ARE the matter that composes you. you are a blood and bone filled sack of chemical reactions. you are atoms that were created inside stars, that shot out into space, condensed into a planet and eventually became organized into organisms.

that's all you are. and it's likely that you aren't even unique in the universe, since there are more planets than there are stars. just because you feel special because you can comprehend the expanse of time and space and you have a hard wired predispostion toward regliosity, doesn't mean that your consciousness "transcends" your physical existance. it does not. you are the sum total of your genes and experiences and you have a short shelf life.

enjoy what you have now. cause that's all there is for you. Unless you can take solace in the realization that your molecules and atoms will be recycled into the earth's biosphere countless times before our Sun finally goes supernova, and blasts all your electrons and protons back out into space one more time....

you seem really sure of yourself.

[MyOneAndOnly]

Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son

you seem really sure of yourself.

why don't you blow a priest

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally Posted by scottytheoneand

why don't you blow a priest

because i'm not a homosexual. i just like how you're preaching here.