(5) Some think that personal identity is grounded in the identity of the soul. Is this a sensible view?

Body of Essay

I will be dealing with biblical definitions of the soul. Other interpretations of “soul” are beyond the scope of this essay.

Soul – Immaterial component of a human, sometimes also known as spirit. Is eternal and unique to an individual.

Some people believe feelings, thoughts and desires, among other personal qualities are included as part of the soul, others believe it is just the “essence,” “life force” or “spirit” of the person and nothing else.

Our sense of self or identity is created by (I am not saying these are definite components of identity, just that they give us the feeling of identity):

• Morals/Values
• Memories
• Likes/Dislikes
• Desires
• Habits
• Physical Appearance (Obviously not part of the soul)

Since all of these things except physical appearance can be altered or completely destroyed by brain damage, it would suggest that the brain is responsible for them and the soul must not be responsible for them. Therefore the idea that the soul contains them cannot be true. This is unless there is some sort of interface between the soul and the body that requires the brain. I am not considering that possibility in this essay, since there is no proof of that claim as of yet.

So, is the notion of identity being grounded in the soul (as in only the “essence” or “spirit” of the person) a sensible view? The soul contributes nothing to our sense of identity. If it contributes something, that thing can not be seen, heard, detected or experienced in any way. What purpose, then, does such a thing serve? A Theist would say that its purpose cannot be grasped by human intellect. A Theist would also consider the soul important because it is the key to the afterlife.

Most people who believe in the soul and the afterlife do so in hope that they (their personal identity) can live eternally in heaven. For this to work, the identity must be grounded in the soul. If it is, their identity will be what goes to heaven.

Heaven, by its biblical description, cannot possibly house identities as we know them. For our identity to exist in heaven, it would have to be completely different in every way to what it was for the duration of our lives.

Therefore, for the identity to be grounded in the soul, the identity contained in the soul would have to be nothing like your identity as you know it. This does not seem sensible. The fact that one of the main reasons people believe that the identity is grounded in the soul is not sensible doesn’t really help either.

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The second last paragraph is a bit vague since this is just the essay plan, not the actual essay. Just ask if you want a further explanation.

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