This is a great thread and I'm totally stealing it from another message forum, AboveTopSecret.com, copy and pasting it here for all you to enjoy. So without further ado, on to the thread! Here's a taste of the thread but see the link for a good time. Do animals have souls? - Stories that prove they have and share the same empathy we do (or should), page 1
People also condemn things they cannot understand or grasp, soo...Maybe they do have souls that we cant understand...I mean do we even understand souls to begin with?
Of course they do. Or rather, soul is the wrong word (a superstitious/religious word that is meaningless). Consciousness is more precise, and all animals have this. It is discovered through neuroscience.
lol no, dude, neuroscience doesn't deal with consciousness. Neuroscience deals with the neuro system and the brain. Quantum Physics, Meditation and Spirituality deal with consciousness. You would think neuroscience deals with consciousness only if you think of consciousness as part of the neuro system but consciousness is non-physical. Do you consider consciousness part of the neuro-system/body/brain or do you think it is non-physical?
If humans have souls animals certainly do, I refuse to believe I'm endowed with a special property that my cat does not have. If she does not have a soul, I can't see how I own one. But she has a personality, she sleeps in the afternoons and runs around in the evening, eats at the same time every day, comes and rubs my legs at night. Do animals have souls? I wouldn't say I necessarily believe in a soul, but animals have personalities as unique as people's, certainly.
Quantum Physics? The fuck? You've obviously been corrupted by the New Agers like Deepak Chopra. Quantum Physics deals with theoretical ... physics. Consciousness is in the brain. There is no soul or spirit. It is your brain creating consciousness. This is studied in neuroscience. If a part of your brain dies, so does your consciousness. Your consciousness is physical reactions in your brain. Simple concept.
To be fair, there are three schools of thought on the matter, realism, dualism, and idealism, and none have been proven or excluded by current science. I honestly thought I was dualist but am leaning towards idealism
Oh man, you put me in the New Age category, how convenient lolol. You have obviously not read anything on Quantum Physics since you think it is theoretical. There are plenty of experiments in QP that prove a lot of things about consciousness and how it is not just the brain. That's not on Dick and Prick debunking show though.... Read about quantum entanglement. I can give you some very scientific lectures on the subject if you are open to ideas but I am not sure you are, you seem to have made your mind on this subject.
All things have souls. People, animals, the earth we stand upon, trees, rocks...everything has a life force, and everything has a story to pass onto future generations
Has anyone seen the show or what ever on the guy that weighed souls? He would lay an almost disease human on a big scale and when the died they would loose a certain amount of weight (the soul leaving the body) with out any fluids being lost body still in tact. He also tried it with animals but I don't think he had any results and said animals don't have souls only humans. Granted this was waaay back in the day, he could have just been saying that. But its really interesting to watch.
Well, let me put it this way. Quantum Physics has nothing to do with spiritual stuff. Quantum Physicists are actually pissed off that New Agers are using their theory to validate bullshit. Quantum Physics doesn't prove anything about the brain or consciousness, it is talking about particals. If you believe otherwise, you've been had by the New Age wishy washy movement. Also, it is called Quantum Theory (Theoretical Physics), so ... you're wrong. By the way, since a lot of you seem to think that the "soul" or consciousness is nonmaterial and out of the brain, watch this debate with two scientists (one neuroscientist) who can't stand to hear this claim and Deepak Chopra (the creator of this Quantum Physics bullshit, which they also address): [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLwnqDvlXqI]Sam Harris vs. Deepak Chopra (debate): Consciousness and the Brain - YouTube[/ame] *Hint: He gets destroyed and embarrassed at the end of this debate. These videos (by scientists) address the Quantum Physics spiritualism bullshit: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z17sIJyQ3oY]Physicist Leonard Mlodinow vs. Deepak Chopra.WMV - YouTube[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfVIl1UUQns]Quantum Quacks: Part 1, Richard Dawkins exposes quantum charlatan Deepak Chopra - YouTube[/ame] Yeah. Philosophical ideas don't necessarily have to be consistent with reality, as they often aren't. I'd identify as a realist.
I've heard of the experiment before. He was basically using a super-sensitive scale that could measure weight changes in grams...but not taking into account the rigidity of the muscular system at death, or any of a number of other factors which could account for that weight change. Also, the weight changes were different each time. I don't think that experiment is a good one, and I don't understand what makes people think that the soul must have a measurable weight.
The more people I meet, the more I like my wife's dogs. They have more honesty, integrity & kindness than most any dozen or so people.
"Deepak Chopra (the creator of the Quantum Theory bullshit)" - rollinjoints What can I say. You fail before you even start thinking... Even wikipedia, the mainstream online disinformation website of CIA, has some good info on this topic. "Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS,[1] (April 23, 1858 – October 4, 1947) was a German theoretical physicist who originated quantum theory, which won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1918.[2] Planck made many contributions to theoretical physics, but his fame rests primarily on his role as originator of the quantum theory. This theory revolutionized our understanding of atomic and subatomic processes, just as Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity revolutionized our understanding of space and time. Together they constitute the fundamental theories of 20th-century physics. Both have forced man to revise some of his most cherished philosophical beliefs, and both have led to industrial and military applications that affect every aspect of modern life." Deepak Chopra is born one year before Planck died. But I don't expect you to know that Max Planck is the father of Quantum Physics. This is the most basic of basic knowledge on the subject and you even fail at this first step. That's what Gay and Teller don't mention, let alone anything else important. I am not gonna discuss anything with you on QP, you are a joke, rollinjoints. Gmtbiker, take a look at this lecture, my friend. It's long but VERY profound. The guy explains everything extremely easily so there is no way you won't get it. Mind-blowing material. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0dcWl2bs04]The Language of the Divine Matrix Part 1_2.flv - YouTube[/ame] Definitely watch high! The first 5-10 minutes are an introduction and then the science starts.
Are you high? Did you honestly think I thought Deepak discovered Quantum Mechanics? I said he's the one who started the Quantum Mechanics spiritual bullshit. I'm positive you didn't watch any of the videos or you wouldn't make such an idiotic assumption.
I agree with rollingjoints, I don't think animals have souls because I don't think humans have souls. That whole idea doesn't seem plausible and isn't supported by science. I also agree that consciousness takes place entirely within the brain which is why damaging parts of the brain can change a person's personality. It is clear that animals are conscious beings and have feelings but they don't have a moral understanding or true comprehension of life and death.