do animals have souls

[eupraxia]

I believe they do. But the higher forms such as mammals and birds.

But do all creatures have a soul. what about insects or snakes or even fish. What about those. I can't be sure.Where do you draw the line, should you draw the line or are they all equally capable of having a soul as some religions believe.

[JOEYSHABADO]

Before you start drawing any lines, please define what you mean by 'soul'. Most of the functions it was supposed to exhibit are now explained by reference to brain function: memory, intellect, etc.

[Quizmonster]

Here is a quote about cats by Th�ophile Gautier, the famous 19th century French poet:

 "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes?"

I don't actually believe it myself - but then I don't even believe it about us - I just think it's a good quote.

[commoner]

  As idiotic says "what do you mean by soul"....I don't personally believe in that sort of thing but IF there is a thing called a "soul" then I guess every animal would be possess one. After all WE  are no different to cats dogs, pigs, cows or whatever you care to mention. Just accidents of nature is my belief.

[MORELLO]

No. Don't be daft.

[landie]

Millie, my cat, has informed me that she most cetainly has got a soul.

[eupraxia]

I find it a little hard to believe that you need to have 'soul' defind.

Its the thing that makes us what we are as idviduals.

Cats and dogs can be individual in the way they react above the basic instincts of life.

Quiamaster, Thats a lovely peace and it does make you think.

Just a shame some people don't think outside the box for just a bit about the bigger picture.

I'm not eloquant with words myself but from one or two of the answers here I think the human race in general is losing its soul.

Shame really ain't it.

[Corsair]

If a human has a soul then any animal has a soul.
Objectively speaking then every organism thus has a soul including plants.
All animals including humans are groups of cells that carry out their own special roles making up the larger organism, the animal.
Evolutionarily speaking we are nothing special.
If just humans have souls and animals do not that lead to other questions such as do some humans have souls and some don't? Are some humans more human than others?

[smadge]

What is a soul? What does it do? Where does it come from? Why do we have one? Does it last forever? Can it be controlled by us? Can it be controlled by God? Does he condemn it to hell if it gets smudged by sin?

[natalie_1982]

Apparently soul does need defining, as I don't agree that it is what makes us individual.

The animating and vital principle in humans, credited with the faculties of thought, action, and emotion and often conceived as an immaterial entity.
The spiritual nature of humans, regarded as immortal, separable from the body at death, and susceptible to happiness or misery in a future state.
The disembodied spirit of a dead human.
A human: �the homes of some nine hundred souls� (Garrison Keillor).
The central or integral part; the vital core: �It saddens me that this network... may lose its soul, which is after all the quest for news� (Marvin Kalb).
A person considered as the perfect embodiment of an intangible quality; a personification: I am the very soul of discretion.
A person's emotional or moral nature: �An actor is... often a soul which wishes to reveal itself to the world but dare not� (Alec Guinness).
A sense of ethnic pride among Black people and especially African Americans, expressed in areas such as language, social customs, religion, and music.
A strong, deeply felt emotion conveyed by a speaker, a performer, or an artist.
Soul music.

So animals don't have souls according to that.  Who is to say that only humans have soul?  Fair enough with whatever you believe euphraxia, but we all have opinions. I think it's more of a matter of opinion than getting an answer to this Q..

[MargeB]

I suppose when people get together and have a reasoned debate based on objective rules and criteria, there is no room for 'opinions', ie random subjective dogmatic claims without support or justification save one's own meandering experience. Didn't hear Einstein say 'I think you're all wrong, but it's just my opinion.'

[eupraxia]

Marge I didn't say you were all wrong I just didn't think any one need it to be defind. Its just a simple question.

Good grief.

[natalie_1982]

And as to whether animals have souls is down to opinion, or could you go and catch a duck's soul for me please so that I believe you?  Einstein didn't ask whether or not animals have souls.

[MargeB]

Its down to opinion for those who don't do science, not for those that do. If we are not to be swayed by whim or imagination, our language, thought, conversation, interrelation, writing, discourse and argument are all based on defined terms, interrelations, and the knowledge that those involved in the debates have accepted those terms. It is also understood that the universe is INTELLIGIBLE, that it is not intrinsically beyond understanding, even though some things may be hard to work out.
If we go 'oh, we don't know if ducks have souls', its probably due to the fact that we came up with a radically indefined, airy fairy definition of soul, so we shouldn't be surprised if we can't really find it in a duck.
If, however, we are honest, and say LIKE THEY DID 1000 years ago: "It is the principle of animation of the body, it is the seat of the intellect, memory, understanding, will", then NOW that we can do experiments on ducks and humans and find 'oh, there's a big blob of material cells in here that appear to be doing just those functions', then we can (and this is NOT a matter of opinion, but scientific fact) open the window and throw out and reference to 'soul/spiritual entity' as being responsible for those functions, since we have now found the actual thing that does those functions and it aint spiritual. Ducks, cows, sheeps, goats, bees, bears, all have similar, specialized groups of cells that also perform those functions.
If you're talking about 'subjective consciousness', then you need to look at the science behind this before saying 'it's probably spiritual, sure feels that way, sure hope it aint just my brain in action." That's not an opinion. It's a guess.

[sandyRoe]

Rupert Brooke certainly seemed to think so. And you could imagine a fat old Carp, safe in its watery home, would have long years to philosophize and cogitate. But, then again, they said to be related to Goldfish which are thought to have practically no memory.



FISH (fly-replete, in depth of June,
Dawdling away their wat’ry noon)
Ponder deep wisdom, dark or clear,
Each secret fishy hope or fear.
Fish say, they have their Stream and Pond; 5
But is there anything Beyond?
This life cannot be All, they swear,
For how unpleasant, if it were!
One may not doubt that, somehow, Good
Shall come of Water and of Mud; 10
And, sure, the reverent eye must see
A Purpose in Liquidity.
We darkly know, by Faith we cry,
The future is not Wholly Dry.
Mud unto mud!—Death eddies near— 15
Not here the appointed End, not here!
But somewhere, beyond Space and Time.
Is wetter water, slimier slime!
And there (they trust) there swimmeth One
Who swam ere rivers were begun, 20
Immense, of fishy form and mind,
Squamous, omnipotent, and kind;
And under that Almighty Fin,
The littlest fish may enter in.
Oh! never fly conceals a hook, 25
Fish say, in the Eternal Brook,
But more than mundane weeds are there,
And mud, celestially fair;
Fat caterpillars drift around,
And Paradisal grubs are found; 30
Unfading moths, immortal flies,
And the worm that never dies.
And in that Heaven of all their wish,
There shall be no more land, say fish.