2. AGENDA
• What is a soul?
• Socrates’s Soul Philosophy
• Souls in Western Philosophy & Christianity
• My Personal Soul Definition
• Video Clip
• Video Overview
• Discussion Questions
3. WHAT IS A SOUL?
• Is there a true definition?
• A soul is defined as the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or
animal, regarded as immortal. Or an emotional or intellectual energy or
intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance.
• A “soul” can have several interpretations
• There are many different philosophies/philosophers concerning souls
• Do you believe in a soul(s)?
• Do you think animals have a soul(s)?
4. SOCRATES’S SOUL PHILOSOPHY
• In HWT, it describes Socrates philosophy regarding souls
• Socrates believed his soul was immortal & his body was a hindrance
• The analogy HWT uses is “the soul is a helpless prisoner, chained hand and
foot in the body, compelled to view reality not directly but only through its
prison bars.”
• Socrates believed the body is ‘mortal, multiform’ but the soul is ‘divine,
immortal, intelligible, uniform, indissoluble.
• Socrates’s soul philosophy influenced the Western philosophes such as the
conception of “self” and Christianity
5. SOULS IN WESTERN PHILOSOPHIES &
CHRISTIANITY
WESTERN PHILOSOPHIES
• Believed in two substances (the soul & the
body) form one person & the soul is immortal
• Viewed man as a “creature locked in conflict
between two opposing and irreconcilable
substances, the body and the soul”.
• Believed the body and the soul were
conflicting
• Socrates believed the body was in
essence trapping his soul
• Dualism
CHRISTIANITY
• Believed in two substances (the soul & the
body) form one person & the soul is immortal
• Viewed the body and the soul as two distinct
substances of a man that are not in conflict.
• Believed the body and the soul were united
in one person
• Duality
SOURCE: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/the-origin-of-the-soul
6. MY PERSONAL SOUL DEFINITION
• The definition I have for a soul comes from my religion, I am a Pentecostal
Christian.
• I do believe in the idea of an immortal soul.
• I believe that once we die our body stays on earth and our soul joins God in
heaven.
• Do you any of you have a similar philosophy?
8. VIDEO OVERVIEW
• The video touch on several philosophers and their ideology in regards to a
soul(s)
• Aquinas believed everything that breathed had a soul, but only humans
had immortal souls
• Plato believed the soul was both the source of life and mind
• Descartes in the mind-body dualism
• Animists believed all things, including nature had a soul
• Spinoza's philosophy revolved around nature
• The concept of a “mind” and how it relates to animals
9. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Do you agree more with the Western philosophies or
Christian philosophies regarding souls?
• Do you believe that souls are immortal?
• Do you think there is such a thing as a good/bad soul?
