Phil Cook wrote:
>> You have a model of the universe in your head, and in that model, you 
>> have a model of yourself. That is your soul. It's what makes you 
>> self-aware, and it's what makes you know the difference between good 
>> and evil.
> 
> But if you have a universe-modal aren't you by definition a part of that 
> model and therefore conscious of your presence in that model?

Well, yes. That's precisely what we're talking about at this very 
moment, isn't it?

> Take that 
> squirrel who worked out how to get to the food table through the ramps 
> jumps and swinging things, could he have done that without a 
> universe-model and more importantly an awareness of himself. Do 
> squirrels thus have souls?

Possibly. They're clearly self-aware.

>> You're self-aware because you can run simulations on yourself to 
>> determine what would happen were you to do something. You don't need 
>> to step off the edge to know you'd bounce painfully on the way down.
> 
> But that's experience, almost Pavlovian;

Not necessarily. It starts out that way, but you don't *ever* need to 
fall out of a tree so that when you see someone else do it,you go 
"that's gotta hurt."

> What you seem to be saying is that self-conciousness equals soul, 
> therefore dolphins and elephants that preen themselves before mirrors 
> are ensouled. Wow that should annoy the 'humans are the best' 
> fundamentalists :-)

Yep. You didn't ask me if it was the same soul the preachers talk about. 
You just wondered if there is such a thing as a soul.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     It's not feature creep if you put it
     at the end and adjust the release date.

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