The Essence of Soul and Matter: Bridging Philosophy, Religion, and Science

                                      Soul and Matter

Man's consciousness awoke from Genesis. This was the first time he thought about the true reason of his existence. The thirst of reality brought humanity to this verge. Among so many questions in human consciousness, the consciousness itself is the greatest one. The very concept of Soul and Body: What is the essence of the soul? How does it interact with the body? These inquires has a great impact on the realms of philosophy, religion and science, each providing a rare perception. In this article I'll write about these questions with respect to the classical and modern concepts.

Philosophical Perception:

The ancient Philosophy called Dualism had given the first idea about soul and body. It include two concepts i.e. Plato's(Greek philosopher) and Descartes'(French philosopher).

• According to Plato the soul and body are distinct entities exist in different realms and the realms remain in a harmony without direct contact. That is the reason both influences each other irrespective to time.
•  The Descartes' concept differs Plato only with respect to Soul. According to him soul is actually the mind within the body. Mind is superior and controls the body. Descartes neglect the notion of different realms and focuses that mind is a part of the body. One of the famous quote of  Descartes reflects his idea about soul.

                "I think, therefore I am"

Another theory called Dual Aspect Theory, which states that soul and body are two aspects of single underlying reality. 

Religious Perception:

The primary teaching of every religion is to enhance humanity's character. The concept of most religions about soul is that it is immortal essence of body. Body dies but its consciousness(soul) is destined for afterlife. Some of these perceptions are as following:

• Islam and Christianity have almost same belief about soul. They consider soul an eternal existence which is transferred in matter/body for a test taken by the creator. The dead bodies in both religion are buried which symbolize that everything must stay where it belongs. Body remains here and soul is teleported to other realm. The deeds and thoughts of the body must impact the soul in afterlife.
• In Hinduism and Buddhism it is believed that after death the consciousness reborn into a new body. This cycle of birth, reborn and rebirth is called Samsara. Life is continuous and soul evolve from multiple life times. Ultimate goal is to free from Samsara and achieve liberation called Moksha or Nirvana, a state of eternal piece and unity with divine. There will be consequences of all the actions of this life in the next life. This concept is called Karma.

Modern Perception:

Modern era is the era of Science. Science believes in experimental evidences. without this the very idea regarding any subject is only considered as a hypothesis. The modern perception about soul is Consciousness within Matter. All the scientific concepts that have a direct or indirect relation in the soul context are:

1. Neurological Science:

In accordance with neuroscience, consciousness is a product of brain activity. Brain is made up of neurons, producing electrical and chemical signals that facilitate communication between different parts of the body. These signals are crucial for various functions such as sensation, movement, and cognition. 

• Recent studies have shown that the brain is capable of storing about 2.5 petabytes of data. It contains all of the observations made with the five senses. This stored memory is called Consciousness and it remains even after the death of an individual.
• The brain learns by experiences and the continuous practice results in perfection. These experiences is also a part of consciousness.   

       2. Modern Physics:

In physics the concept of soul is directly not focused because it relies on experimental evidences and mathematical modeling to explain physical phenomena. It mostly concerned matter ,energy and forces of nature. Nevertheless, it provide an indirect path to understand these philosophical or religious concepts. In physics body can be termed as matter and energy can be soul or consciousness. Here’s how modern physics can indirectly relate to and inform our understanding of the soul:

• Quantum Consciousness suggest that quantum mechanics might play a role in consciousness. Orchestrated Objective Reduction Theory by Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff  proposed that consciousness arises from quantum processes in the microtubules of neurons.                  

• Wave Particle Duality by Louis de Broglie explains about the wave nature of a particle means an electron can exhibit wave like nature. In accordance to soul and matter the wave particle duality can be termed as a Soul Matter Duality. This can easily be understand by by Einstein Theory of Relativity which suggests that matter and energy are interconvertible. The equation E=m(c*c) describes it mathematically. E describes the energy required to break the Strong Nuclear Force ( a force that bind all the nuclei particles together).  

• Quantum Entanglement is a phenomenon when two or more particles become correlated to the point where, even if one particle is on the edge of the universe, any change or stress at that particle will have an impact on the other particle without causing any loss. This phenomena supports the Plato's Philosophy.

• Multiverse Theory describes the existence of multiple, possibly infinite universes, including the one we inhabit. This support the concept of quantum entanglement which further clarify the Plato's Philosophy. 

• In accordance with String's Theory which enlighten the reality of subatomic particles. According to it the particles are eventually strings vibrating at different frequencies. The particles varies with respect to frequency. 

Conclusion:

A deep relationship between consciousness, existence, and the universe is acknowledged by philosophers, religions, and scientists alike. Philosophical dualism is consistent with scientific concepts such as quantum entanglement and wave-particle duality, whereas religious views regarding the immortality of the soul are indicative of the search for meaning beyond this life.

Despite the progress in understanding the soul, significant questions remain. It is because the true essence of soul in different context is still a hypothesis and nothing about it is absolute.