By Professor Caverna | OPINION
When we think about the human soul, we often see it as something abstract and difficult to understand, right? After all, the soul is that part of us that we cannot see or touch, but which, according to many religions and philosophies, is the essence of our being. For the Arab philosopher Avicenna, the soul was a fundamental subject, and he dedicated much of his time trying to understand how it works, how it connects to our body and even what happens to it after we leave this world.
Avicenna, when speaking about the human soul, sees it as something distinct from the body. The soul is not just a product of the brain or any other physical organ; it is immortal and rational, something that goes beyond our matter. The human body is like a “shell” of the soul, something that houses our essence, but does not define who we really are. For the Greek philosopher Aristotle, the soul is what gives life to the body, but it also has different parts and functions. Avicenna went further, saying that the human soul has a rational and spiritual dimension that makes it capable of knowing the world in a profound and intelligent way.
One of Avicenna's most interesting ideas about the soul is the way he views reason. For him, reason is what makes human beings unique. It may seem simple, but reason is the soul's ability to perceive, understand and reflect on the world around us. And that's not simple! He believed that reason was an essential faculty of the soul, one of the highest, and it is through our rational capacity that we are able to know the truth about ourselves and the universe.
Imagine, then, that the human soul has three main parts or faculties: the vegetative part, which is related to basic functions, such as nutrition and growth (functions also present in animals and plants); the sensitive part, which is linked to the senses and the perception of the world around us (this is shared with animals); and, finally, the rational part, which is the most important and exclusive to humans. The rational part of the soul is what allows us to understand abstract concepts, such as justice, morality and, of course, philosophy.
Now, one interesting thing about Avicenna’s view of the soul is that he believed that the soul does not die with the body. Even when the body dies, the soul continues to exist. To him, the human soul is immortal. It is not bound by matter, as the body is. When the body falls away, the soul remains, and this has some very profound implications for how we view life and death. He was answering a question that we have all asked ourselves at some point: “What happens to us after we die?”
The answer is deeply connected to his view that the soul has a direct connection with the divine. He believed that the soul, being rational, is in constant search for knowledge, and that its ultimate goal is union with God, the Supreme Being. For him, God was the point of origin of everything in the universe, and the human soul, by seeking truth and knowledge, draws closer to this divine source.
The pursuit of knowledge was one of the highest forms of fulfillment for the soul. He believed that through reason and philosophical knowledge, the human soul could achieve its perfection and full understanding of the world. This is interesting because, unlike some other philosophies that see reason as something “cold” or “dry,” the thinker saw knowledge as a way of spiritually approaching God. He saw science and philosophy as means for the soul to reach truth and liberation. To achieve true happiness and full understanding, the soul would need to go through a process of purification. The human soul, by moving away from ignorance and seeking higher knowledge, elevates itself. The elevation of the soul is not just a matter of learning facts about the world, but of approaching a deeper understanding of reality and divinity.
For him, the soul is not just a part of the body or something that is born and dies with it. The soul is immortal, rational and has a divine purpose. It seeks knowledge and, through this knowledge, it draws closer to God, the source of all wisdom and true happiness. The philosopher believed that, while the body is mortal and limited, the soul is eternal and has a unique ability to understand the universe in a profound and spiritual way. In other words, if you are wondering what makes you a unique human being, Avicenna would say that it is your rational soul. That part of you that not only feels the world, but understands it, questions it and seeks the truth about everything around you. For him, knowledge is not just a way to understand the world, but to approach perfection and divine truth. This makes the human soul something truly extraordinary!
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Note: Dear reader, the objective here is to stimulate your philosophical reflection, nothing more! nothing more!
“They took the primate out of the jungle, but not the jungle out of the primate” Prof Caverna
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