Thursday, September 29, 2011

Soul Searching

Thursday, September 29, 2011    56 comments


In a recent post I questioned, ‘who am I?’. The question was left unanswered. Most scientists say we are what we think we are. The feeling of ‘I’ is a 20-watt fountain of energy operating in the brain. But, many philosophers claim that we are not the body, but the soul. They claim that our soul is struck in the cycle of life and death, and it is thorough praying to god, or through good deeds, we obtain freedom and become one with the almighty.


Considering ourselves to be the soul would mean we have a unique identity. Every person is separate with their own unique soul, a soul that is separate from the body. This idea is however challenged by a psychiatric diagnosis called DID (Dissociative identity disorder). We know it as split personality.

The famous case of Miss Beauchamp stroked a big blow to the concept of a unique soul. Her personality was divided between Sally and Beauchamp. Sally hated Beauchamp and tormented her with practical jokes. Once Sally packed some snakes and spiders in a box and addressed it to Beauchamp who was terrified of both. They were different personalities struck in one body, different part of the same brain. Did she had two souls, or split souls? A split soul loses its identity anyway. She actually had more than two personalities, thus requiring more than two souls. To me, that’s unlikely. I would rather go with split brain (not literally, not corpus callosotomy) than split soul.

A lot of people claim out of body experiences (OBE) and near death experiences (NDE) as proof of soul. But those who know about schizophrenia would not be surprised if OBE and NDE were just illusions. May be everything is, it is all in our mind. I believe something exists because somewhere in my brain there is information stored about it. The moment that information is erased that thing cease to exist. All our perceived truth exists just in our minds, not outside it....so does god and soul. The concept of unique soul, and thus the concept of ‘I’ probably come from ego. Spirituality and salvation gives us pleasure, and hence we seek it. Why do we need to separate soul (or conscience) from body? Why do we need a god separate from ourselves? Why do we need to separate matter from energy? The truth can be much simpler.

Cheers!
SUB

56 comments:

  1. mishiSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:46 PM

    your reads go just fine with the name of this Blog...Well you have forgotten about the Personality sphere here.Body is Controlled by Brain and Brain's Intellectual side that helps us to think and feel and which is also Unseen is called Mind.The particular case that you mentioned here is of SPLIT PERSONALITIES..there are no SPLIT SOULS ..our soul is one like our body ...its just the way our mind is adjusted in this social set-up that  plays its role in forming our personalites.the way we are brought up and taught to live and communicate..if we are brought up under multi-set patterns..opposite of each other or our mind is suppressed in any way..we will end up having these two personalities in one person..TWO SIDES of the same Mind.TWO WAYS of thinking..both of them entirely opposite of each other..as opposite as SOUTH AND NORTH poles are.

    D.I.D doent mean we can have two souls in one body..its about two personalities of one person.the questions that leaves the experts all bewildered is how opposites these two sides can be! One side is Priest and the other side is Killer..One side is INNOCENT and the other side is shrude.the intensity of difference amazes us.Being a very Interested Student of Human Psychology , I loved this post of yours:-)

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  2. AnjaliSeptember 29, 2011 at 8:30 PM

    Oh wow, I knew I was spiritually challenged to begin with, but either my brain suffered a temporary freeze or I don't have a soul, because my eyes just glazed over the post,not grasping most of it....I'd like to think it is the former reason, but fear it's the latter... :D.
    In any case, deep stuff indeed...

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  3. Saru SinghalSeptember 29, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    So, we are unique. And body and soul are different entities which function in harmony. Nicely written Subhrasis...
    Saru

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  4. PK TalliSeptember 29, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    Ah well, I can switch between crazy to pretty to creative to shy :-\ and what not! you just saw on facebook...whatever it may be, something does exist. i still believe it is one soul though...

    ps: pliss to clarify, is its a khojh the search blog, or come and get confused blog :D

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  5. Madhulika .September 29, 2011 at 9:39 PM

    Taught provoking.. and confusing too ;)

    http://madhulikaspeaks.blogspot.com/

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  6. NittinjSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:23 PM

    ......................................5 sec......5000 sec......5k(k) sec....5k yrs...5k(k) yrs..............................................................................!!!!????!!!!

    Sorry, No matches found :)


    ------
    www.nitinjain.blogspot.com ( surprisingly 1 match found :D )

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  7. irfanSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    I don't know much about Human Psychology......As far as i understand there is nothing like "split personality"....bcoz we all have more than one personality inside, which keeps on changing or they change our behaviour at different situations we fall in......

    BTW its  tough one SUB.....


    http://irfanurs.blogspot.com

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  8. BikramSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:58 PM

    WOw.. thats is so phylosophical for my knowledge I am not that intelligent.

    But I do say I am what I am .. a bit of everything good-bad-ugly.. :) depeneds on the situation what one sees in me ...

    Regarding god and all WHo knows what it is .. after all its all a Myth

    Bikram's

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  9. egedenneSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    Easy question! ;)
                               You are SUB of course! ;) 

    You are that you are, a free soul living in a body named SUB, 
    and asking a lot of funny stuff, just because you find it funny....

    What a magic! ;) 
    And I do believe that we all are Gods.... hehe

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  10. egedenneSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:58 PM

    why this link thing going on? isnt the link coming with the photo-profile?

    http://egedenne.com

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  11. sarah_sweetySeptember 30, 2011 at 12:14 AM

    I have often sat contemplating on questions like these..2 things happen to me at the end of it - either I m convinced that the answer to it is REALLY a simple one or am left stuck at a point wen my mind can no longer decipher further. Its like a blind loop...but contemplation sure makes us wise!

    www.sarah-malik.in

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  12. stuti dhyaniSeptember 30, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    why do we need two 'I's'? why do we need to have our Gods out side us?  so true, perhaps at one point everything is an illusion...

    www.readmeatblogpage.blogspot.com

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  13. jayendrasharanSeptember 30, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    I remember, in some of the program on TV I used to see that this soul transfer to a new body after a person dies..and I don't know whether I should believe it or not, because I never did this soul searching. Actually to find the truth about life takes a lot of endeavor, it was mahatma Buddh who found the truth of life..and we are just following them.

    And I agree with your brain split thing, because I have seen many programs in History/Discovery channel in which they have discussed (real story) about Multiple personality Disorder.

    http://jayendrasharan.wordpress.com

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  14. KunalSeptember 30, 2011 at 2:48 PM

    But.. even if there is a god..even if there is a unique soul..or even if we are what we think...there are still many unanswered questions or events...but it all comes to nothing....I guess..as long we have to better sense to lead our life the way we want and finding that source of happiness, without hindering and harming others while we are on our way..

    Cheers!

    http://fromdevilsworkshop.blogspot.com/

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  15. Rohan ShedageSeptember 30, 2011 at 7:19 PM

    I always end up reading follow-up comments on your blog...it is really nice how you keep your readers wondering at the end...nice post,keep it up :)

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  16. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    thanks a lot Rohan...:)


    P.S. since u r not registered with DISQUS i cannot click on your name and find your blog...would be gr8 if u can leave the link:)

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  17. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    true...it's just that thinking about these mysteries makes me happy....that's just me :)


    thanks a lot Kunal :)

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  18. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    yea...souls flying around...somehow i find no reason to believe it...i think even Buddha didn't...thanks a lot for your comments...

    Cheers!

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  19. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    perhaps it is....thanks Stuti :)

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  20. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:20 PM

    i share your feelings...thanks Sarah :)

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  21. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:21 PM

    u r not registered with Disqus...so i can't :)

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  22. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    we always feel like i am a free soul...but more the mysteries of brains are revealed the more i find it difficult to believe in soul...thanks a lot for your comment Ege :)

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  23. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    LOL...nor am i..

    good bad ugly...we all r :)

    thanks a lot for the comment...

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  24. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    well said...thanks a lot Irfan...:)

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  25. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    :)

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  26. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    that's because i am confused too ;)

    thanks Madhulika :)

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  27. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    i love confusing ppl...coz i too am confused :)....
    definitely something does exist :)

    Cheers Chintu :)

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  28. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    thanks a lot Saru :)

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  29. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:26 PM

    i still miss that baba thing :)...

    thanks a lot for your comments Anjali :)

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  30. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:28 PM

    i also don't think DID can mean multiple souls...but since we tend to define soul by our character....multiple character would mean there might not be a soul different from the body :)....more we understand the brain the more soul seems irrelevant....

    thanks a lot Mishi...glad u liked it :)

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  31. Vinesh BalanSeptember 30, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    Nice one, always keeps me thinking 'Why am I in me?'

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  32. Venkateswaran RamachandranSeptember 30, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    Nice post. This time i don't have any words to comment on this topic to be frank enough, but i liked the concept of the post...

    As always , You Rock... :)


    http://rvspeaks.blogspot.com/

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  33. AshwiniSeptember 30, 2011 at 10:09 PM

    Interesting post, yet again.And Yes, the Truth is always Simple. It's us human beings who complicate everything. 

    Ash
    http://www.ash-aqua-girl.blogspot.com/

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  34. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 11:35 PM

    thanks Vinesh :)

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  35. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 11:35 PM

    thanks RV

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  36. SUBSeptember 30, 2011 at 11:35 PM

    true...thanks Ashwini :)

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  37. KPOctober 1, 2011 at 2:10 AM

    You mean like Aham brahmasmi?
    If OBE is an illusion then the talk that the rishis of olden days wrote about astrology via OBE by visiting the solar system.. will also be false.. rite? the soul and meaning of it confuses me too.. Though every religion talks a lot about it, a complete surrender to it would only make me understand it, as I prepare myself for that the silly mind and need for logic confuses me..

    Interesting read.. thought provoking.. I already started thinking.. :)

    KP
    http://kplikes2blog.blogspot.com

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  38. SUBOctober 1, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    i have no idea how authentic the words of the rishis are... :)
    logic...that confuses me too ...thanks a lot KP :D

    Cheers!

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  39. alissaOctober 2, 2011 at 12:26 AM

    Maybe we don't exist at all. We could be illusions of a bigger man. We're dolls to someone bigger then us. These bigger people manipulate our behaviors. 

    http://theapels.blogspot.com/

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  40. SUBOctober 2, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    may be :)

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  41. BloggerburnsOctober 2, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    I like Alissa's theory. It is some what dynamic and mystic.

    www.d22-zone.com

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  42. SUBOctober 2, 2011 at 5:50 PM

    thanks Bloggerburns :)

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  43. NikhimenonOctober 2, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    nice post...
    intersting points about schizophrenia also...

    nikhimenon.blogspot.com

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  44. SUBOctober 2, 2011 at 10:58 PM

    thanks Nikhi :)

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  45. Aakash KokzOctober 3, 2011 at 5:38 AM

    Beautiful post, Sub. Quite interesting topic about soul & split personality :-)

    http://www.unexpressedthoughts.com/category/love-poems-2/

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  46. ArtiOctober 3, 2011 at 4:48 PM

    Insightful post.. Many questions for one to answer there...

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  47. SUBOctober 3, 2011 at 9:36 PM

    Thanks Arti :)

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  48. AbhisekOctober 3, 2011 at 11:59 PM

    What's real and what's not..you will get different answers from different people .I believe that everything and everyone in this world is part of a big story.We are just playing our part.
    http://wehaveastory.blogspot.com/2011/10/think-about-it.html

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  49. Hariharan ValadyOctober 4, 2011 at 7:08 PM

    I also think that in the split personality example, brain is being wrongly equated with soul. Also "soul" is to be realised and not understood or learnt. I am not sure whether logical deductions can help in realisation.
    http://valadyviews.blogspot.com/2011/10/defamation-verdict-bites-times-now.html

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  50. sujatha sathyaOctober 4, 2011 at 11:02 PM

    happy Blogoversary Sub! 

    reg the post: yup we do tend to complicate things 

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  51. KirklopsOctober 8, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    Correction - Last para: "don't know, yet."

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  52. KirklopsOctober 8, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    Excellent post. A unique soul is without doubt a spiritual concept. So I would rather not comment on it. Consciousness, though is a different matter. Is there a state separate from the body (there need not be a unique identity as espoused by the concept of a soul), or is consciousness just hardwired in an individual's material brain and subjective reality is a myth; is there a mind-body duality? These are interesting questions to ponder on.

    The relationship between the inner world of our consciousness and the outer world of nature has for long sparked interest. There are physical laws that define how matter and energy interact in nature. Can consciousness also be scientifically quantified? As some scientists and thinkers believe quantum mechanics may provide the answer.

    Some interpretations of QM places the observer (or his consciousness) in a special position. Superposed probabilistic wave functions collapse to a definite deterministic state due to an observation by an observer. So the outer world is in essence subjective. The physical laws of this universe are a result of a conscious mind's observation.

    However, this view raises a lot of paradoxes. What level of consciousness is required for the wave function collapse? Assuming it is human consciousness, then how was there a real universe before humans existed? Assuming it is the consciousness of any life form, what about the real universe that existed before life? How did definite matter exist without QM wave function collapse; or did it?

    Amit Goswami, a quantum activist swears by a common universal consciousness. If it exists then the above paradoxes can be swept aside.

    On the other hand, there is also the argument that neurons are classical objects and at the spatial scale of a neuron and the temporal scale of neuron interactions quantum effects hardly play a role. So consciousness is derived from classical interactions. Quantum collapse hardly comes into the picture. So the observer's significance in the universe is a myth and there is an objective reality as opposed to the subjective reality espoused by quantum collapse. But neuro physicists describing consciousness classically cannot account for free will, creativity and the randomness of our thoughts.

    What is true? We don't, yet. There might be a separation between consciousness and the body. The truth may not be simple after all.

    Once again, nice post.
    Cheers,
    Kiran

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  53. SUBOctober 10, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    thanks a lot for that comment...much appreciated...give a lot to think...

    problem with the observer concept is that you don't know what happen to something when you do not observe it...so neurons are being observed a classical...but one don't know what happens when you do not observe it...

    if every matter is consciousness/energy (e=mc^2)...and that's what we are all made off, then there is not need for a creator or destroyer, and, creation and destruction...everything just is, before and after human form...that existence has to be something that we can never know coz it's beyond the boundaries of time and space...time and space as we know it is a human perception, or, perception of all things we call 'living'...our perceived time and space, and thus our perceived universe was not there before us....

    then again, that's just my perception...like you said...What is true? We don't know, yet.... :)

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  54. SUBOctober 16, 2011 at 7:57 PM

    may be...all the acting is probably an illusion too... :)

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  55. SUBOctober 16, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    I am not equating brain to soul...it's just that i feel like there is not soul different from the body...every matter in conscience in itself...we probably do not need a separate soul...please check my next post for my perception...which might e wrong :)

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  56. SUBOctober 16, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    Thanks Sujatha :)

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