[ OPEN ] Let No Soul Hunger For Justice: An Inquiry.

[fleurdesel]

FORM: Sending Crystals
SENDER: Adelaide LeBlanc
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Vaguely philosophical question time
WHEN: Current
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Part of Let No Soul Hunger For Justice.

[ Adelaide’s voice is even, if tired- but what else is new? Still this is a requirement for the next ritual and to that end, she must find some sort of acceptable truth from a variety of opinions. Sequestered in ‘her’ desk in the Library, full pot of coffee warmed to one side, sheaves of blank paper and bottles of fresh ink before her. To her right? Anders with a similar set up, papers, quills, ink- a kitten. To her left, Roul to take just as many notes. Prepared as they are ever going to be- she asks. ]

A few questions for the Inquisition:

What is a soul, truly? What fundamental differences are there between a mortal’s soul and the embodiment of a spirit? Is it the culmination of our thoughts and experiences, our emotions? Is it a combination of our self given purpose and our ambition?

A mortal might change their purpose, might grow and become more due to our experiences- most spirits do not. But what more than that? What sets one soul apart and makes it distinct from another? Can the same be said of similar spirits?

Answers need not be religious or academic- merely true. What do you believe to be the difference, what do you believe to be a soul?

[ ooc: threadjacking is welcome and encouraged ]

Comments

[rowancrowned]

What is this word? I do not understand it. I understand spirit. It has been explained to me in regards to the creatures of the Fade, and I understand it as it related to fëa. [ that's very clearly not a word in common. ]

[wickedchase]

My my, someone is deep in thought. Such philosophy.

How do you perceive it?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Whoa. That is some deep shit right there.

I'm, uh. Uhhhhh... I know it's possible, sure, but I'm not really sure if you- general you- can talk about souls without talking about religion? It's at least a really...spiritual sort of concept.

[trouvaille]

Well,

( not without some wariness, )

if a mage becomes angry in my company, I don't turn into a demon.

( that seems like a solid difference between a spirit and a soul, from where gwen is sitting. after a moment, like she's thinking out loud, )

And if abominations exist, then that isn't because of my physical body, is it?

[failedfirst]

I think a soul is all that you said. Spirits embody certain things, they cannot alter their paths. We can, and our soul is that distinction. It's something complex, there likely isn't a wrong answer as to what a soul is.

[dragoon_pride]

I would call a soul the essence of who we truly are. All of our thoughts, our personality, our hopes and dreams... all of it. A body without a soul is dead, of course... Though I've seen plenty of undead, zombies and so forth, roaming around soullessly. Not a pretty sight.

[It's something Kain has thought about a great deal. He's seen too much back home not to understand the difference, the way that the undead aren't really themselves. There's a look in the eyes that somehow shows whether that soul is in there or not. He's also experienced death and being in soul-form himself, though that's not something to bring up at the moment.]

Your spirits here seem very different than that. They normally don't have mortal bodies of their own, for one thing, do they?

[ancarrow]

A soul is the spark of the divine within us. It's what allows us to create and shape the world around us, as the Maker created us. It's what makes us, well, us. All our hopes and dreams and fears, our ability to love, it comes from that spark deep within us.

[hlif]

I can tell you what the Avvar think, if you care about us dirty unwashed heathens. Usually people don't.

[Do you remember this dirty patient from the healing tents and that one healer everyone probably told you to keep the hell away from him well whatever he'll probably give you the Avvar heathen opinion anyway.]

[eviscerates]

Pretty sure 'sole' is a type of fish.

( :D

:D

8D )

No, uh. The soul is... it's who you are. I mean, I think we're all something past brain and bones and whatever else. It's what makes your eyes light up, you know?

( She exhales, and finally there is unhappiness. ) But you can lose it, I'm pretty sure, if dark enough powers get involved. Take away the soul and a person isn't really them any more. I'd guess, anyway, I'm no scholar.

[obi_wanmanshow]

A soul is a... philosophical construct. I'm not sure it's simply one discrete thing-- although, personally I've more experienced what it is by definition of what it isn't. For example, most life of sufficient complexity and age has what I might consider a soul.

[There is a pause while he thinks aloud, in quietly fascinated tones. What is a soul? What a question.]

Droids, for example, are... something like, minds devoid of ordinary emotion. They seem to feel emotions, and they often react as if they did, but they're not alive, not really. They're machines; tools, they have no soul, no innate will.

Spirits are much more mysterious to me, I'm afraid. But the souls of sentient beings are... I suppose I would categorize it as a unique presence in the Force, something capable of continuing on, even when the physical form has faded, like... [A sudden burst of inspiration] ...like the echo of a melody.

My impression of Spirits is very different. Although I'm stumped as to exactly how. Barring this recent unpleasantness with the illness, I've had little direct observation of my own.

A little later, and probably far too late at night

[slipshot]

[His voice is far quieter and more ponderous than it usually is.]

I'm not really sure. There is something, though, that people have that isn't the same as spirits or demons. And it disappears utterly when someone dies. So there's something different, at least.

[He pauses.]

Maybe it has to do with actually... I don't know. Enjoying things. Disliking things. Being able to change our mind about it. And being able to.. think about ourselves, separate from ourselves... if that makes any sense....

Why are you thinking about this, anyway?