December 27th, 2023

The soul is a man-made concept

The soul is a construct devised by humanity. Early humans recognized the vital role of breathing in sustaining life. The inception of life was marked by the first breath of a newborn, while its conclusion occurred with the cessation of breathing. While one can endure periods without food or water, the absence of breath leads to death within minutes. This life-sustaining essence, imperceptible and ethereal, prompted ancient texts to employ terms like "spirit" and "pneuma." Rather than being interpreted literally, these terms conveyed a supernatural notion encapsulated in the concept of a "soul," believed to preexist and persist beyond its temporal presence in humans.

The ancient scriptures delved into the mystical attributes of breath, portraying it as a force with supernatural qualities. The concept of "spirit" carries different meanings in the realms of both physical sciences and religious or metaphysical contexts. In the physical sciences, particularly in ancient and medieval philosophy, the term "spirit" has been used to describe a subtle, ethereal substance or force thought to be distinct from matter. This concept is often associated with vitalism, the idea that living organisms possess a vital force or spirit that distinguishes them from inanimate matter. The ancient Greeks, for example, used the term "pneuma" to describe a vital breath or spirit that was considered the animating force of life.
Reference:o   Shapin, S. (1996). "The Scientific Revolution." University of Chicago Press

During the Renaissance, alchemists and natural philosophers explored the idea of a vital spirit or life force as part of their attempts to understand the nature of living organisms. However, as scientific understanding advanced, vitalistic concepts fell out of favor in mainstream biology in favor of more mechanistic explanations.The term "pneuma" has different meanings depending on the context—specifically, in the realms of both physical science and religion.In the physical sciences, particularly in ancient Greek philosophy, "pneuma" refers to the concept of a vital force or breath that is associated with life and living organisms. The ancient Greeks, including philosophers such as Anaximenes and the Stoics, used the term to describe a fundamental substance or principle that pervades all things and is responsible for life and animation. Anaximenes, for example, considered pneuma as the primary substance, akin to air or breath, which undergoes rarefaction and condensation to give rise to various forms of matter. Reference:o   Kahn, C. H. (1979). "The Art and Thought of Heraclitus: An Edition of the Fragments with Translation and Commentary." CambridgUniversity Press