I was reading R Swinburne's entry in the 'Oxford Companion to Philosophy', which includes the following,
'The human soul is that which gives life to the human being. For Aristotle, the soul was simply the form of the body, i.e. the way the body behaved, and thus not capable of existing separate from it; plants and animals also had souls of their kinds.'
He also says,
'Most modern philosophers deny the existence of an immaterial soul.'
I find these considerations extremely difficult for thinking about the nature of life, consciousness and life and death. There may have been problems arising from seeing souls as immaterial as opposed to imminent or as a separate entity, and it may have led to the classic mind-body problem, as the concepts of soul and mind include a fuzzy overlap.
The idea is the self may be seen as being about subjectivity and the seat of consciousness. However, in a way it may be dismissive of the reality and importance of conscious experience, and the 'spark of consciousness'.
It also is important to consider that the idea of a soul may be applicable to animals and all living forms. This may also be applicable to issues of systems, including the ecosystem, with some nodding towards the concept of panpsychism in its soft form. It may be useful for thinking of the planet and the 'world soul', and James Lovelock's concept of Gaia may capture this. The idea of the soul may be important in issue of 'deep ecology' and respect for the 'sacred' aspects of 'nature' and what Fritjof Capra describes as 'the web of life'.
My own understanding of the soul, especially in its use amongst transpersonal writers, such as Thomas Moore, is that it gives value to the importance of the cultivation of the inner world, in his books, 'The Care of the Soul', and, 'The Dark Night of the Soul'. He is not necessarily speaking about the disembodied idea of the soul but about the value of inner aspects of questing. Within many philosophy discussions there often seems to be a tendency to try to pin down the nature of reality to appearances.
In understanding the experiential aspects of consciousness and the appreciation of the value of life, I see the idea of 'soul' as being a term which still has relevance. Of course, it is ambiguous, but so are the terms body, mind, self and consciousness. What do you think about the idea of soul as a concept and in relation to terms such as mind and self? Of course, some of it comes down to definitions but such words are important as tools for philosophical constructs. What are your thoughts? Also, if you are opposed to the notion of the soul, why?