A common misconception of atheists is that we do not believe in the supernatural: ghosts/spirits, souls, reincarnation, etc. While this may be true for many atheists, it is not an inherent attribute. What you must first realize is "atheism" is disbelief in god(s). It says nothing else. Buddhism is an atheistic religion.
With that out of the way, I must admit I have been contemplating the existence of a soul. Again. When I first read about atheism, I immediately accepted that there wasn't a god, yet I had immense difficulty rejecting the concept of a soul. Why is this? Surely "soul" couldn't have been driven into me any more than "God" was. Less, if anything.
A soul is said to be what makes us human. It gives us our morals, it separates us from common animals. Obviously this is not a physical object, which is why I do not like godisimaginary.com's rebuttal. Really that site should have just focused on "heaven/hell" instead of getting mixed up in "soul."
If souls do exist I imagine all sentient beings having one. But, I feel that there would be different levels/depths to it. Just like how animals (some of them at least) can feel basic emotions, but humans feel deeper and more complex emotions. If the soul (as I propose it) exists, that would be the source for our emotions. Can we really put emotions down to chemical reactions? To instincts?
Anyways: when we die, these souls would go back from whence they came. Which would be some sort of spiritual force that encompasses the entire universe. It would be centered on places with the most life. It would almost be like energy. It would be entwined in nature, the essence of everything, but all the while only "active" in the aforementioned sentient beings.
Now this sounds all nice and pretty, but is it true? Well there's no way to prove it, is there? Which makes me think that it is probably not true.... If you are going to credit emotion to a soul, you also must credit personality to that soul. But I believe, firmly, that our personality stems from the way our brains developed and were wired.
Looking at this objectively, I do not believe in souls. Rather I think such concepts as "soul" "spirit" and "mind" are really just the brain in a field we don't associate with it. Namely, emotion. The brain is associated with logic and structure and concrete-ness. Hence why we feel the need to invent other concepts for our abstract emotions. In reality they are one.
And so, while my version of the soul might make me feel at peace with the world, I know that it is fantasy. If I were to still believe in it, despite its unlikeliness, I would be just as bad as the religious fanatics who refuse to look critically at their faith.
Note: I am not saying that any religious beliefs are wrong (how would I know?) rather, I am just asking that you accept the possibility that they might be.
I feel happy after making this post because I am truly fulfilling the purpose of my blog. I was confused about this subject, I wrote out my thoughts, and came to a solid conclusion. I am leaving ignorance.
