Does The Soul Exist? Here’s What Science Says

Throughout our life as human beings we have wondered many times if the soul exists. It is a question that has sparked a lot of discussion and to which different disciplines have tried to answer in various ways.

In this article we will introduce you to various scientific paradigms, traditional theories and those developed in our day. We will also tell you about Robert Lanza’s fascinating theory of biocentrism. Over the years, various religious traditions have confirmed the existence of the soul, but our analysis will go beyond the spiritual dimension.

But what is the position of science? How do we try to answer questions about the existence of the soul today? We will talk about it in this article.

Does the soul exist? The various beliefs

The idea that the soul exists is due to the belief that there is a continuum , a life after death. It is also believed that the soul is a guide that allows us to think and feel, distinct from the body.

Conceptions about the soul vary according to the context, religions and disciplines dealing with this topic. Over the years, precisely because of their spiritual dimension, it has been the religions that have taken on the task of explaining their existence.

Associated or not with the spiritual dimension, we can say that the existence of the soul is proven by the mysteries associated with birth, death and the different states of consciousness, memory and imagination. In this sense, the soul is believed to be some kind of vital force or impulse.

The scientific paradigm and the existence of the soul

According to the philosopher and historian of science Thomas Kuhn,  a scientific paradigm is a universally recognized set of results. However, in addition to generating models of solutions and solving problems in the scientific community, paradigms are not without criticism.

The current scientific paradigm does not recognize the spiritual dimension. Rather, he emphasizes that there is no need for a soul and explains life to us through equations, carbon activity, protein activity, etc.

Religion, on the other hand, gives the answers on the existence of the soul from a spiritual point of view, associating it with the transcendent and the incorporeal. Science, for its part, associates it with matter. In other words, he understands it as a synonym for mind (from a poetic point of view) or reduces it to the concept of cognition or consciousness.

Current and bold scientific theories

Although neuroscience has made great progress in explaining the functioning of our nervous system and subjective experiences, the existence of the soul still remains a mystery. The problem is related to understanding the nature of the Self.

Currently, several theories have begun to challenge the scientific paradigm, especially the physicochemical ones. One example is the biocentrism theory which is trying to answer the difficult questions about human nature. One wonders, for example, if the soul exists or if there is something beyond time.

This new view on human beings, the cosmos or reality, holds that life goes beyond atoms and particles. This would explain concepts such as quantum entanglement and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. These quantum oddities occur in the world on a human scale, as argued by Gerlich and other authors in the article Quantum interference of large organic molecules  (2011).

Robert Lanza, an American scientist, has suggested the biocentrism theory according to which life and biology are essential for the human being, reality and the cosmos. It also claims that consciousness creates the universe and not the other way around. Therefore, he does not ignore the physico-chemical approach to the explanation of the problems concerning the human being, but gives greater importance to the biological aspect.

For some branches of scientific knowledge, space and time are tools of the mind to be associated with existence. This takes us away from classical intuition and suggests that a part of the mind or soul is immortal and exists outside these categories.

Does the soul exist? Conclusions

In short, some sciences recognize the existence of the soul because they associate it with poetic vision or reduce it to cognition. Others continue to hold traditional positions on its non-existence.

Thanks to new discoveries about the nature of being associated with time and space, several current theories suggest the actual existence of the soul.