And do believe that I, this random guy on the internet has a soul
I personally don’t believe that I anyone else has a soul. From my standup I don’t se any reason to believe that our consciousness and our so called “soul” would be any more then something our brain is making up.
Do we have a sentient soul? I would say no, and as proof I point to those suffering from Alzheimer’s. That disease robs a person of their memory, so by the time of death they have lost much of who they were. If the sentient soul exists, it must be able to remember, otherwise it cannot retain the traits that make the individual unique. It should retain all the memories of our life. Yet those with Alzheimer’s forget who they are. How is this possible if we possess a sentient soul? If we cannot retain memories in this life, how will we do so in the next?
What about those with major brain damage from stroke or mishap? Part of their brain died, and whatever that part contained, it’s now gone. Is their soul now split? Did part of it “move on” with the dead part of the brain?
Part of the problem with the analysis is that under the influences of Western Christianity the term ‘soul’ has become a very specific configuration of properties.
For example, in ancient Egypt there were over seven different types of what we consider ‘soul’ with biographical memory as only one type.
The ren was the name and identity of a person, the ba their personality, the ka as their “life force” of sorts.
Conversations like this one might be better served by a more nuanced vocabulary in its discussion.