Do atheists believe they have souls?

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UmmHurayra's picture
Do atheists believe they have souls?

Hello everyone. I have a question for all the atheists , if you can tell me do you believe that you possess a soul or not? I have always wondered about atheist views on this but never had the chance to interview any. If you believe you have a soul, how did it come into being? And what do you believe happens to it when you die? Thanks in advance..

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Old man shouts at clouds's picture
@UmmHurayra

@UmmHurayra

There is no evidence for the existence of god, gods, spirits,fairies, goblins, elves, djinns, flying horses, souls or any other thing that goes bump in the day or night.

There is plenty of evidence to illustrate the gullibility and cupidity of mankind.

When you have defined what a 'soul' is, can it be measured? Its existence falsified and replicated? Then maybe you can ask the question.

David Killens's picture
UmmHurayra, atheists have

UmmHurayra, atheists have just one thing in common, we disbelieve or lack belief in the existence of God or gods.

Speaking for myself, my views on politics, racism, abortion, or any other issue may be opposite to other atheists. We do not have a common world view.

So on the topic of "soul", first you need to define "soul" so we are not discussing two distinct concepts or things.

Is it self-awareness? Or some mystical, eternal, ghostly thingy like a cloud of smoke?

algebe's picture
@UmmHurayrado you believe

@UmmHurayrado you believe that you possess a soul or not?

I have a mind. It lives in my brain. When my brain dies, so does my mind.

If soul is another word for mind or personality, then yes I have one. But I don't believe in souls that can exist separately from the body. That's a fairy story.

Have you ever watched someone fade away due to dementia? As their brain suffers more and more damage, their memories and mind disappear piece by piece until there's nothing left. They die, but their bodies keep on living. How could that happen if there was a soul?

Dasch's picture
What about malfunctioning

What about malfunctioning brain not being able to let the soul connect to it at the full range?

TheBlindWatchmaker's picture
This smacks of the notion

This smacks of the notion that atheism is a world view, when it is just a point on one particular subject.

If people believe in souls and so fourth is an entirely different question, However, No I do not think there
are any souls that reside within humans and go off to an imaginary paradise (or somewhere warmer) at the point of death.

You could possibly say energy exists after death and will always remain, If you consider it from the point of entropy.

UmmHurayra's picture
@Theblindwatchmaker

@Theblindwatchmaker
I am sorry for my ignorance when it comes to the difference between atheists. It has been pointed out to me on this thread and I understand it better now. I obviously do not appreciate all Muslims to be put in one basket when it comes to different school of thought , so I won't do the same where atheists are concerned.
I find it interesting what you say about energy . what do you propose happens to it after you die? Do you believe it remains with the body , this is something I am really interested in what your thoughts are since you don't believe in God nor you possessing a soul. So where does this "energy" fit in? If I imagine a burial ground, does this energy move about? What happens to it

Dave Matson's picture
UmmHurayra,

UmmHurayra,

Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but it does flow. Take heat, a form of energy, for example. When someone dies in a cool climate the body heat, formerly maintained by the breakdown of food energy, slowly dissipates into the surroundings. The remaining chemical energy within the body is released into the environment by decomposition or transferred to microbes or other forms of life. Human energy is always flowing, always being converted into other forms. This is in keeping with the laws of nature.

TheBlindWatchmaker's picture
That is fine, Everyone is

That is fine, Everyone is entitled to make mistakes.

I think perhaps you should study The laws of thermodynamics and also Entropy, you'll then understand the point.

My personal opinion? Biologically after death will rot away and be dined upon by fauna and flora, and thus maintain a natural cycle of life.

There is no evidence to support the hypothesis of a god, nor that of spirits/souls and so fourth, so I shall not give that notion any credence whatsoever.

However, The thought that the work done by humans, creates/generates an energy that does not dissipate and stays within the universe is one I am happy to consider.

It depends on what you mean by energy, as Energy is a property, not a "thing" with a position that can move in an ordinary sense.

Cognostic's picture
What happens to your energy

What happens to your energy when you are alive? It heats your body and allows you movement. When you die, you cool off and return to the ground. You become fertilizer for the next generation. There is no big secret here.

Jared Alesi's picture
I don't personally subscribe

I don't personally subscribe to the idea of a soul, but I can't speak for other atheists. My dad is an atheist, but he believes in a soul, so who knows?

UmmHurayra's picture
@Jared:

@Jared:

That is really interesting. Did you ever ask him how he thinks he got the soul? Or what he thinks it is exactly? Seeing as he doesn't believe in God, I am curious as to where your Dad believes his soul comes from.

Jared Alesi's picture
Well my grandfather was a

Well my grandfather was a religious man, so possibly from him. I never truly thought of the soul as a religious idea until a few years ago. It just never crossed my mind, and perhaps it never crossed my father's. At any rate, once I considered what the idea of a soul is, I rejected it as it was unproven. I would ask my father his views on the subject in more detail, but we don't really speak much.

Dave Matson's picture
UmmHurayra,

UmmHurayra,

If a soul is energy, then it comes from the surrounding environment. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. If "soul" means awareness of self, then it slowly developed as the baby grew up. In that case "soul" would be like a strong body, coming into existence somewhere between a baby and a young, athletic man. It would be shades of gray, there being no meaningful creation date.

CyberLN's picture
Ummhurayra,

Ummhurayra,

First, welcome to AR. I’m really glad you’re here.

Second, I’ll iterate what previous posters have said...
Please define ‘soul’, I don’t know what that is. If it is some sort of personality that survives the body’s death, then no, I don’t think that exists.

I’ve read what you have posted, here and in other strings, and have noticed that you seem to refer to atheists as a group. That’s problematic. As has been mentioned, the only thing folks designated as atheist can be said to have in common is no belief in any gods.
You have asked that folks here not paint you with the same brush as a person who both claims Islam and uses it to commit violence. Okay. I can do that. Just asking you do the same for me. Don’t paint me with a “you atheists” brush.

algebe's picture
@CyberLN: Don’t paint me with

@CyberLN: Don’t paint me with a “you atheists” brush.

We should also avoid assumptions about where atheists fit on the political spectrum, especially one based on the US liberal-conservative axis. Atheism is purely a position of disbelief in relation to the supernatural.

CyberLN's picture
I concur, Algebe. If I’ve

I concur, Algebe. If I’ve done that, I apologize.

algebe's picture
@CyberLN If I’ve done that

@CyberLN If I’ve done that

Never you.

Cognostic's picture
What do you mean when you say

What do you mean when you say "soul." You have to define it before anyone can actually respond. In the Old Testament the world "Soul" only means "breath." There is another definition in the OT also. "God made man a living "soul." Man himself is a soul. Now. breath exists no matter what you call it. Here in Korea it is "Pa-ram." Man also exists "Sa-ram." It is easy to prove that souls exist if we use the OT definitions. What definition are you using and what evidence do you have to assert your definition is real?

dogalmighty's picture
Well, I don't believe in a

Well, I don't believe in a god or gods. That is atheism. A soul however, as viewed by most, is a religious invention...part of usually a faith based belief system...which is a binding tie to a god. For this particular atheist, I am immediately skeptical of anything defined or associated with a god. For me, anything associated with a god or its religious doctrine, is a lie. Reason and present evidence shows that the standard model of the term "soul", does not exist. Being intimate with neurophysiology as a discipline of my career, the brain, as the physical receptacle of all of the traits of what is excepted as a soul, disappear incrementally with damage to the brain, and completely with death. So, within the religious context of a soul, it does not exist. Think, and tell me how, what you believe as your soul, manifests itself in reality. That is why, for me, a soul does not exist.

Kataclismic's picture
What's a soul? Does it fit in

What's a soul? Does it fit in a box? I have a lot of boxes.

Sapporo's picture
I don't believe in the

I don't believe in the supernatural or the spiritual, so I don't believe in souls either.

I think the concept of the soul is often clouded by vague language, and may be a complicated way of describing something that can be described in clear terms. (Like personality, as others have suggested, or the notion that everybody is an individual).

I do not know for certain that when I die, my personality will be permanently lost. The answer isn't especially meaningful to me, as it doesn't change my outlook on life. My sense of individuality is only important to me in each moment I am self-aware.

mykcob4's picture
The idea of a soul is purely

The idea of a soul is purely conjecture or should I say a fairytale. If humans have a soul then all living things have a soul. First, you have to define what a soul is and that has never been done. Then you'd have to isolate the "soul" from all other factors and variables which can't be done since a "soul" has never been defined.
Scientifically there is no reason to even investigate "souls" as they are a product of the god myth.

Sheldon's picture
Mon, 04/09/2018 - 03:23

Mon, 04/09/2018 - 03:23
UmmHurayra Do atheists believe they have souls?
Hello everyone. I have a question for all the atheists , if you can tell me do you believe that you possess a soul or not? I have always wondered about atheist views on this but never had the chance to interview any. If you believe you have a soul, how did it come into being? And what do you believe happens to it when you die? Thanks in advance..
------------------------------------------------------
I don't believe anything supernatural exists, and will continue to disbelieve it until someone demonstrates some objective evidence for something supernatural.

mickron88's picture
"I don't believe anything

"I don't believe anything supernatural exists, and will continue to disbelieve it until someone demonstrates some objective evidence for something supernatural."

spot on shelly...

and if i die??i'd be like god, we'll have the same power...i too don't exist..
wow..magic..

UmmHurayra's picture
I think for now the best

I think for now the best definition I can give, would be human consciousness. It has no physical existence, do you agree on that? So physical atoms and molecules could not create it as it is entirely in a separate domain. And yet , we all possess it.
So no the soul is not the mind. The mind is more like software and the soul is your power supply. You can think of it as your individuality, how can it not exist?

Nyarlathotep's picture
Clearly your consciousness is

Clearly your consciousness is just a function of your parts. That is why when you hit your parts with a hammer (your brain/skull) your consciousness goes away.

CyberLN's picture
Sam Harris on it...https:/

Sam Harris on it...
https://youtu.be/NQLypwgqefc

mykcob4's picture
@UmmHurayra

@UmmHurayra
"I think for now the best definition I can give, would be human consciousness. It has no physical existence, do you agree on that? So physical atoms and molecules could not create it as it is entirely in a separate domain. And yet , we all possess it.
So no the soul is not the mind. The mind is more like software and the soul is your power supply. You can think of it as your individuality, how can it not exist?"

You think? Can you PROVE that claim? How do you know that molecules and atoms could not create it? Also, you have failed to prove what a soul is. Until you define what a soul is and then PROVE with CREDIBLE evidence that YOUR definition is a fact, then you cannot say what or what creates it and that it is a separate domain. The "soul" is no more a power supply than a concrete rock. There is no proof that souls exist. You have failed to prove that souls exist. So FOR NOW the best thing is to wait for proof before you start saying what souls do.

Sapporo's picture
For me, consciousness being

For me, consciousness being an abstract notion does not mean it is not the manifestatation of something physical. I consider it the ability of lifeforms to be aware of their environment.

Sheldon's picture
Human consciousness is

Human consciousness is derived from our physical brain, that's axiomatic. Put a pickaxe through a human brain and bye bye consciousness. Even theists must think that's a bit of a coincidence?

" It has no physical existence, do you agree on that?"

No, what's more despite many requests no religious poster can demonstrate any objective evidence for anything supernatural.

"the soul is your power supply. "

So can you demonstrate any objective evidence for this claim?

"You can think of it as your individuality, how can it not exist?"

I won't believe it exists until you demonstrate proper evidence for it.

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