Albeit humans are among the weakest animals from a physiological perspective, they nonetheless single-handedly control the entire globe that is full of millions of other species. Yet, a good cross section of mankind cannot even survive without continuous medical care. Perhaps the secret behind the mysterious power of man lies in the concept of the soul. From another perspective, most people will not take the concept of the soul seriously unless and until they lose someone very close to them such as a relative, friend or a spouse. The thought of them having dissipated into nothingness is often too hard to bear. Perhaps to assuage the pain as well as seek to explain what happens after death is among the reasons why the concept of the soul has generated so much interest globally (Lorenz, 2009) . A majority of religions have an opinion about the soul so do most cultures in history and currently. Indeed, even those who do not believe in the existence of a soul often talk about it, if only to argue about its inexistence , making the soul one of the most controversial philosophical subjects in the world.
Too many intelligent men in history have believed in the soul for it to be dismissed offhand. This has made even those who do not readily believe in the soul to take notice of the concept and at the very least offer an opinion. The fact that Socrates was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived is not in doubt within any intellectual circles. Yet the subject of the existence of the soul and the immortality thereof was one of the integral beliefs of Socrates. This great philosopher gave four proof about the existence of the soul. The first is called the Opposites Argument and argues that the soul is the bringer of life and therefore cannot die. The body is material but is enlivened by the soul (Lorenz, 2009) . When the material body dies, the soul lives on. The second is the Theory of Recollection, which holds that mankind possesses primal characteristics and forms of knowledge which have not been learned after birth. This is evidence that the soul pre-existed the body and came with some form of primal data. The affinity argument is premised on a form of variance between the physical body and the soul. The physical body is weak and corruptible but the soul is strong, indestructible and immortal (Lorenz, 2009) . The fourth argument is also known as the Affinity Argument and argues that everything in life is derived from Forms. This includes Forms such as the Form of Beauty and the Form of Joy. Life emanates from Form of Life wherein the soul plays an integral part. Therefore, the soul is both in existence and cannot die. Even after being condemned to death for his ideas including the aforementioned, Socrates never doubted or disputed them and even talked about them during the final hours of his life (Lorenz, 2009) .
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Two other philosophers after Socrates expanded on this concept of the soul and are also considered some of the greatest philosophers of the ancient times. These are Plato, a student of Socrates and Aristotle, a student of Plato. Plato taught about a tripartite soul, which existed within the human body and even explained how this soul related with the actual body. Within the head lay the logos or the mind which was the center of reason, intelligence, and wisdom. This is the dominant aspect of the soul and by extension of the body too. The second is thymos, within which lies emotions (Lorenz, 2009) . This part of the soul is masculine in nature and can be found in the bowels or chest area. Finally, there is the eros or the appetite which controls human desires and aspirations. This can be found in the human stomach and is feminine in nature. Aristotle also believed in the existence of the soul and extended the concept to all life, including plants and animals. He, however, defines the superiority of humans over other forms of life, based on the superiority of the human soul (Lorenz, 2009) . The soul of plants is defined as vegetative and only tends towards existence and reproduction. The soul of animals, on the other hand, has all that the soul of plants has, but is also sensitive and can have feelings. Finally, the soul of humans, over and above having all that the souls of plants and animals have is rational in nature and can reason out, hence its superiority.
Perhaps the strongest evidence for the existence of the soul lies in the fact that almost everyone who believes in the existence of the supernatural, believes in the existence of a soul. Cultures of the world may disagree on almost everything but are almost unanimous about the belief in the soul. Indeed, the very concept of immortality is closely intertwined with the existence of the soul (Swancutt & Mazard, 2016). One of the earliest religions, the Egyptian culture believed in the existence of an immortal soul. They would bury their dead with amenities to enable the continuation of life in the afterlife. Ancient Greek religions going as far back as the Trojan War would believe in the existence of a boatman who would transport the souls of the dead to the next life. In ancient Africa, when a warrior encountered and conquered a worthy opponent, it was customary to cut open the stomach to allow the soul to escape the dead body. Surprisingly, a similar custom was existent among American Indians who had no known connections to ancient Africans (Swancutt & Mazard, 2016). The fact that culture across the globe and across time believe in the existence of the soul places the onus of proof upon anyone who seeks to dispute it.
Among the notorious voices that deny the existence of the soul is that of modern science. This is based on the fact that at some point, scientists sought to provide evidence of the existence of the soul. Duncan MacDougall once tried to scientifically prove the existence of the soul through taking the weight of several individuals before and after they died. He came up with the almost negligible weight difference of 21 ounces as the weight of the soul but his works were disputed by mainstream scientists (Yerke, 2014) . A branch of psychology known as parapsychology has also worked over the years to come up with a provable concept of the soul, but the same has also failed. Indeed, there has been more scientific evidence to dispute the existence of the soul more than there has been to prove its existence. Among the common concepts is that the soul is just the subtotal of the weird combinations of brain activity. This makes the soul an illusion, akin to mirage or the supersonic boom as made by a bullwhip, from the perspective of scientists.
In response to the same, however, it should be noted that science is not an absolute and is indeed a growing phenomenon. So many things have been scientifically indicated as factual, only to be later realized to be fallacies with scientific advancement. Within the 20 th century, for example, so many new discoveries about humans were made based on scientific development. Concepts such as DNA carrying genetic material would have been thought to be insanity at the beginning of the 20 th century, yet came to be confirmed as true with scientific advancement. Therefore, the fact that science cannot find evidence of the existence of the soul does not necessarily mean that the soul does not exist (Yerke, 2014) . It may as well point to limitations within science. Perhaps in the next few decades, a machine that can gauge the soul might be discovered.
The totality of the above may not provide solid evidence for the existence of the soul but is does provide a reasonable ground for the concept of the soul not to be out rightly ruled out. This is a concept that has been in existence for thousands of years now. Within these thousands of years, it has been seen to transverse different culture held in different geographical locations. Further, many famous philosophers have canvassed the subject of the soul and found it to be solid. The said philosophers have then proceeded to give solid evidence of the existence of the soul from a philosophical perspective . Even those who may not agree with the said philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle will however, not doubt that they were among the greatest thinkers of all times. Further, continued research about humans has shown, from a scientific perspective, that it is better to err on the side of caution than on the side of speed. Many people who have been quick to rule out facts about humans because of lack of scientific evidence thereto have been forced to eat their words when means to test the same came in to existence. The concept of the soul may not be scientifically proven as at now. However, instead of ruling it out due to lack of evidence, it would be wiser to allow science some more time. Perhaps, with time, a scientific means of measuring souls might be arrived at.
References
Lorenz, H. (2009, April 22). Ancient theories of soul . Retrieved May 31, 2017, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/
Swancutt, K., & Mazard, M. (2016). Anthropological knowledge making, the reflexive feedback loop, and conceptualizations of the soul. Social Analysis , 60 (1), 1-17
Yerke, P. (2014). The science of ghosts and the essence of the human soul . Science
