Do Animals Have Souls?

Addressing the Question: “Do Animals Have Souls?”
by Neal R. Karski

To many, this topic may be a very sensitive one. I will attempt, to the best of my abilities, to present to you, dear readers, my side of the argument and leave you pondering on your own. My thoughts here are not meant to offend or defend anything or anyone; they are simply creations of my conscience that are verbalized in this post. We live in a world where variety is an inherent concept within each and every human being. And every human being is different, with different thoughts and different views. My purpose is not to convince you; it is to encourage you to explore your own conscience in pursuing knowledge and the infinite capabilities of your minds.

First, I will start off from the moral standpoint, which it’s grounded on the religious guidelines and interpretations. I found an article worthy of reading titled “Animals Have Souls” by Vasu Murti (you can find it at this address http://www.all-creatures.org/murti/tsnhod-08.html ). In the Bible, God created humans and animals to coexist and share the nature he had given them. Murti brings up an interesting point from the Book of Genesis, where humans and animals are both said to have souls. As also understood by the religious history, animals were given to humans to as means of nourishment and the Hebrew culture stresses the specifications as how the slaughter of animals for food is to be conducted. Continuing on, given that animals, like us, are living creatures and they resemble certain behaviors, and we’re willing to accept them as God’s gifts to Earth, then it is possible [yet not exact] that a certain spirit [or soul] lies within an animal. Upon its death, it returns back to its origin [which in this case is said to be the Kingdom of God or Heaven]. But even many faithful people don’t acknowledge animals as having souls, because of their lack of conscience, intelligence, dominance or equal standing with humans. Although, they may not comprehend that recognition of soul does not require acceptance of all of the above stated differences. Christians, for example, are challenged by the scriptures to love and appreciate their surroundings, as well as utilize ethical manners of nourishment – meaning to refrain ourselves from immoral and inhumane treatment of animals, who were placed here with a purpose. In Hinduism, believers worship and take care great of cows in their communities – they treat them with great respect and admiration. Hindus believe cows are an embodiment of their Higher Being(s), which seems to reflect back to the inclusion of a soul.

The belief that animals do have a soul is also shared by patrons of nature, advocates of Mother Earth, many environmentalists, naturalists, artists, vegetarians [or vegans] or what we call the modern day “Hippies”. It is recognition of an inner presence within an animal, not as just an object or only as a means of physical nourishment. Ancient Greeks, the Mayans and many other cultures and civilizations used animals as symbols, portraying them as characters and living signs; they allowed animals to teach them the ways of nature and help them understand the daily occurrences. Technology and modern advances of sciences have diminished many of these traditions, habits and interactions, yet the burning flame of life and the presence of soul still remain until this day [sometimes forgotten and surpassed].

God Bless, until next one…

Animals, Souls and a Smidgen of History
by George A. Miu

The first philosophers, namely, the ancient Greeks, propagated hylozoism, which is the belief that virtually all material things are made of the basic elements, and thus contain a soul. Later on in history, people struggled with the concept of inanimate objects having a soul, and reverted to a kind of scaled-back animism, which preached that only animals, plants and human beings have souls.

However, since the onset of Christianity (as we understand it today), a considerably more restrictive and anthropocentric view has been taken: man is master of his domain and the only one who possesses a soul, out of all of God’s other creatures. Of course, not all Christians adhere to this specific doctrine, but it is one that is widely accepted today.

Being a Christian, I was highly tempted to just fall back in line and write about how human beings are head and shoulders above everything else and therefore the only logical choices for the residence of the soul. Then, I thought about how humans are the only animals to have waged war for personal gain and decided to give the matter a little more consideration.

The conclusion at which I arrived is thus:

From a philosophical standpoint, human beings are capable of reason, and hence more complex than other animals. From an empirical perspective, we are made of the same stuff as everything else, essentially. This leads us to a paradox that has been much debated. Ancient Greeks were more inclined to believe the empirical assertion; modern philosophers and theologians, the former. The debate rages on, and the pendulum swings back and forth, slowly but surely.

Personally, I choose to ultimately side with the ancients. I believe that, if broken down sufficiently, our reasoning capacities and subsequent actions are merely consequences of consciousness, which is a universal trait. Consciousness, in turn, can come in varying degrees of intricacy – and this is where human beings prevail, and why (i.e. humans are the most complicated and this gives them the capacity to build societies). However, it does not change the fact that a reduced form of any quality does not cause the disappearance of that quality; only a reduction. It is the same with matters of the soul.