WE THINK WE KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE SOUL BUT DO WE?

The “soul” has been described and investigated from the earliest societies. Great philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Buddha, and hundreds of others are positive in their writings. Ancient Greeks used the same word for 'alive' as for 'ensouled'. So the earliest surviving western philosophical view might suggest that the terms soul and aliveness, were the same - but not that having life universally indicated the possession of a soul, as in Buddhism. But that full "aliveness" and the soul were often linked. There exists, within our material universe, three types of energy: gross material, subtle material and spiritual. The gross material energy consists of earth, water, fire, air and ether ["space" within the universe]. The subtle material energy consists of mind, intelligence and false-ego [the identification of the body as the self]. The spiritual energy consists of the soul [the individual living entities] and the super-soul

The presence of the soul in any living entity is indicated by consciousness. Although we cannot actually see the soul, we can see its symptoms. We cannot "see" electricity but when we see an illuminated light-globe it is the symptom of the presence of electricity. Similarly when we see consciousness, we see the symptom of the soul. Any material body inhabited by a soul will undergo changes. It will be created, it will grow, it will produce by offspring, it will dwindle and ultimately it will die.

The science of the soul is described in the Bhagavad-gita, the timeless jewel from the Indian Vedic texts. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. In these traditions the soul is thought to incorporate the inner essence of each living being, and to be the true basis for wisdom. It is believed in many cultures and religions that the soul is the unification of one's sense of identity. Souls are usually considered to be immortal and to exist prior to incarnation.

The concept of the soul has strong links with notions of an afterlife, but opinions vary wildly, even within a given religion, as to what may happen to the soul after the death of the body. Many within these religions and philosophies see the soul as immaterial, while others consider it to possibly have a material component, and some have even tried to establish the weight of the soul. The current scientific theories don't accommodate the possibility these things could exist and there has been very little real scientific study in these areas. So whether you believe or disregard all of the centuries of writings about “souls” there must be something to the existence of it.