Topic: Spirituality. Question: What is spirituality, and is a soul required? First, Ill define soul (Dictionary ): soul sōl/Submit noun 1.the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance. their interpretation lacked soul synonyms: inspiration, feeling, emotion, passion, animation, intensity, fervor, ardor, enthusiasm, warmth, energy, vitality, spirit More 2.the essence or embodiment of a specified quality. he was the soul of discretion Dictionary defines Spiritual as thus: spir·it·u·al [spir-i-choo-uhl] Show IPA adjective 1.of, pertaining to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal. 2.of or pertaining to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature: a spiritual approach to life. 3.closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.: the professors spiritual heir in linguistics. 4.of or pertaining to spirits or to spiritualists; supernatural or spiritualistic. 5.characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined: She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother. For the sake of my argument, I will be using the 3rd definition, as I do not believe in a soul, and do believe myself to be considered spiritual by most who know me personally. My spirituality lies inside nature, and the universe, around me. I can feel a connection to the stars, the planet, the animals and plants, and the knowledge they can provide us. But, does spirituality directly correlate to a soul? Socrates, a possibly fictional character used as a puppet by Plato, offers the Theory of Recollection(tab.faculty.asu.edu/chapter51.html ), which, in simple terms, states that we do not learn, but only remember what we knew already from before our births. It is an odd concept, but interesting. However, there are flaws in the reasoning. The reasoning being: A lack of evidence and logic. I will approach this argument from another angle, in a moment. Another idea offered by Plato; Argument of Affinity (philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rickless/Phil100/Phil100-Phaedo.htm ) which tends to be what I usually use to reason. Basically, it states that the soul (Mind) is invisible. It is a construct used to guide the body, and that it will never cease, long surviving the body. I disagree with this part, as I tend to need evidence for such claims, and that all physical elements of the world will continue on. They will never cease. This last part is true. I do, however, think that our spirituality can be directly linked to the earth. Our minds do not continue on, but do in fact cease. The energy, however, is dispersed back into our beautiful world, to power the minds and bodies of future creations. So, in theory, a soul (mind) does in fact, live on, everlasting. And, as such, you could, very well, argue that the Theory of Recollection does hold true, but not in such a sense most would interpret, and definitely not in the sense that was originally presented. When we learn, we give names to fact based evidence we see, and can read our DNA which shows the life of our ancestors, in some, VERY vague, ways. So, in a way of speaking, our mind does continue on, disperses through the cycle of life once again, and we relearn everything taught to ourselves in previous lives. But the current consciousness, and foundation of your own mind, is unique and only yours. This is the only life your specific mind will endure. Is it that hard to interpret spirituality as a possibility without a soul? No. Not at all.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 14:48:46 +0000
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