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Do animals have souls?

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
Suppose someone said that humans have souls, but animals don't. They would then typically have to explain, once the conversation is steered this way, at what point our species "evolved" to have a soul.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
Do humans have souls? how do you know? How does 'looking into eyes' reveal a soul?

And are you talking about *all* animals? If so, do sponges have souls? How about earthworms? Fish? Snakes?
 

BSM1

What? Me worry?
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?


Why would you want to put that burden on innocent animals?
 

BSM1

What? Me worry?
Do humans have souls? how do you know? How does 'looking into eyes' reveal a soul?

And are you talking about *all* animals? If so, do sponges have souls? How about earthworms? Fish? Snakes?

Cockroaches? You can definitely see the 'Disney Effect' in a lot of gullible people (re: Bambi, et. al.).
 

Howard Is

Lucky Mud
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?

I have shared love, loyalty, fun and grief with various animals.

I have jammed with a magpie for 40 minutes over a Miles Davis tune.
I have been morally educated by dogs, cats and horses.

Humans lock themselves out of that with a stubborn and unnecessary delusion that animals are inferior beings. No wonder many of them don’t want to talk to us.

Species chauvinism. Just plain ignorant.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
How does 'looking into eyes' reveal a soul?
I believe that we have evolved to recognise sentience, and that this works intuitively - e.g. by looking into the eyes of another

I believe that when you look into the eyes of another and see a soul what's happening is that one soul (yours) recognises another fellow soul

If so, do sponges have souls? How about earthworms? Fish? Snakes?
IDK, Perhaps it's a matter of degree?

I don't think sponges would, as (as I understand it) they have no central nervous system

Edit: not being cute and fluffy shouldn't mean no soul!
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
In a sense, I tend to think of religious descriptions of the soul as being a basic description of a complex thing. So for example, maybe none of us have souls as it is and are part of a deeper understanding of other humans and animals explained through psychology? I mean, let's say someone continues beyond death and has an afterlife... Is it more farfetched to think a deity can recreate our presence in an afterlife, rather than thinking that there is a soul attached to our bodies that somehow makes its way to the afterlife? Just wondered.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Do animals have souls?

When I look into the eyes of an animal I can see a soul looking back at me

Just as I can when I look into a human being’s eyes

I see the same thing in both animals and humans

"see" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps a better word would be "feel"???

I think they have souls

Why shouldn’t they?
I don't see any reason to think that "souls" exist at all.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I think the first question would be, What is a soul? When we have a clear answer to this, the next question would be, What would make someone think animals would not have some form of the soul? or do plants have a soul?

I think even human beings do not have an eternal soul, Animals the same, but plants, as far as I have understood the living system plants does not think, but they can feel and react to fear and maybe also happiness. But yes maybe plants also has a form of soul/spirit but at this moment they can not use it in the same way human beings can.

Or maybe it is as following, We have a primordial spirit and a secondary spirit (unconscious spirit)
 
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