Atheism and the soul/spirit

[YesIAMJames]

I doubt I'll find many people on hear who believe in any form of spirit but if you still believed in the spirit after becoming an atheist I'd like to here how you would have answered at that point.

Background:

At 21 I was an atheist but still believed in a "life force" similar to the Asian idea of chi or ki. It wasn't until I really started scrutinizing the idea that I finally let it go. I'm going to make a response video to answers I receive as well as a separate video examining the claims of companies selling "life force" pendants. I've also asked this on Yahooanswers and Youtube. So question time...

Do you have a scientific or rational justification of this? (what lead you to believe in it?)

Does a soul or "life force" have an evolutionary advantage or purpose?

Do you believe that all life forms have it or just "higher life forms" such as humans?

Do you believe it is a natural phenomenon such as electricity or an unknown partial?

Can it be measured?

Can you alter it in any way? if so what tangible effect would that have on the individual?

By what mechanism does the soul/life force interact with the body?

What happens to the soul/ life force when you die?

 

[Anachronous Rex]

Well I have no problem assigning a sort of poetic animus to a human being, or even ordinary objects. Indeed, I do this quite often... at the very least every time my computer or car misbehave.

Such a thing may even be useful and appropriate in a sense. When we talk about the 'human spirit' or the like, we are speaking of course of our collective drive and insight, or as the case may be less laudable characteristics.

This I would not, and could not, support execrating from our collective vocabulary, but it really ought not to be taken literally.

 

[YesIAMJames]

Anachronous, I'm in full agreement with you there and in one of my responses I'll include my pantheistic interpretation of the soul. I have no problem saying someone has lots of soul or spirit.