Soul

Soul is a term used in various religious, philosophical, and mythological traditions to describe the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal. It is often considered to be immortal and to exist before birth and after death.

Etymology

The word "soul" comes from the Old English sáwol, which means "spiritual and emotional part of a person, animate existence; life, living being".

Religious views

Different religions have different beliefs about the nature of the soul.

Christianity

In Christianity, the soul is considered to be a divine spark within humans, created by God. It is believed to be immortal and to be judged after death, with its fate depending on the person's actions during life.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, the soul, or atman, is considered to be eternal and unchanging. It is believed to be reincarnated in different bodies over multiple lifetimes.

Buddhism

Buddhism does not believe in a permanent soul. Instead, it teaches the concept of anatta, or not-self, which is the idea that the self is not a single, unchanging entity, but a collection of changing phenomena.

Philosophical views

Philosophers have also debated the nature of the soul. Plato believed in the immortality of the soul, while Aristotle considered the soul to be the form of the body, and not a separate entity.

See also

• Spirit
• Mind
• Consciousness
• Reincarnation
• Afterlife

• 
  Soul leaving the body
• Souls of Pe and Nekhen towing at Ramses' Temple in Abydos
  Souls of Pe and Nekhen towing at Ramses' Temple in Abydos
• Soul carried to heaven
  Soul carried to heaven
• Soul
  Soul
• Soul
  Soul
• Charun with dead souls
  Charun with dead souls
• 
  Plato and Aristotle
• Aristotelian Soul
  Aristotelian Soul