Different in degree or kind: EVOLUTION (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, January 01, 2015, 15:34 (3614 days ago) @ dhw


> DAVID: I am a substance dualist. [...] The Jewish religion depicts the human soul at a much higher plane than the animal soul, simple versus very complex. And I believe in an afterlife.
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> dhw: A “much higher plane” clearly indicates degree and not kind.-You are playing with words. The degree of difference in human and animal thought is so vast as to indicate a difference in kind.-
dhw: If the human soul is separate from the human body, and is responsible for thought, it seems only logical to assume that the souls of all other organisms are also separate and responsible for their particular forms of thought. This would be what you call a “pattern”.-Probably true. The body acts as a carrier or container for the soul. That is about as far as my thoughts have every gone. I equate 'self' and soul. -> dhw:Two questions: 
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> dhw: 1) Do you believe ALL organisms have souls, and if not, where do souls start to appear?-I have accepted Jewish teachings that animals have souls, and I have assumed they appear at birth.
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> dhw: 2) Do you believe there are gradations of soul complexity among other organisms, e.g. from a chimpanzee to a duck to a worm to a bacterium (or wherever you think souls start to appear)?-I only know of consciousness complexity. I have no idea about single-celled souls. Sounds ridiculous to me. Worm story from college philosophy: Eastern thought is that worms have souls. But worms will recreate if cut into ten parts. Are ten souls recreated? Question was never answered by he Eastern priest, subject of the interview quoted. 
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> dhw: You will probably guess what questions are coming next, but we should take this exploration one step at a time!-Have no idea where you are going. My knowledge here is very weak religiously.