Defining the Soul
“I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul. The pleasures of heaven are with me and the pains of hell are with me.” ~Walt Whitman
The concept of the soul has been a cornerstone of philosophical and psychological inquiry, yet it resists a singular definition.
As far as I’m concerned, the soul is an unexplainable yet evolving awareness of us as finite beings engaged with an infinite universe. It’s the “place” where the inexplicable inner and outer worlds meet. It’s a manifestation of a body engaged in mindfulness. It’s a nexus of meaning and struggle. It’s a mind-body conduit through which fractal connectivity flows, both perceptually and behaviorally. It’s an aura of interconnectedness. It’s razored ratio. It’s grounded paradox.
But here’s the best definition I’ve ever come across…
“If you need to visualize the soul, think of it as a cross between a wolf howl, a photon, and a dribble of dark molasses. But what it really is, as near as I can tell, is a packet of information. It’s a program, a piece of hyper-spatial software designed explicitly to interface with the Mystery. Not a mystery, mind you, the Mystery. The one that can never be solved.” ~Tom Robbins
By weaving together the philosophical perspectives of Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, Ernest Becker, Carl Jung, Plato, Rumi, Viktor Frankl, and Simone Weil, we might approach a nuanced understanding of the soul as a vibrant, multifaceted force that navigates the paradox of the human condition. Let’s break it down…
Nietzsche’s Soul:
“The soul is a world of its own; it is the eternal flux of becoming, a wanderer through the chaos of existence, seeking its own meaning.” ~Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s contribution to the soul lies in his concept of the will to power, the primal drive to assert one’s existence and create meaning in a chaotic world. For Nietzsche, the soul is not a static entity but a battlefield of instincts, where the individual forges their identity through overcoming resistance and embracing life’s challenges. He rejects traditional notions of a divine or eternal soul, instead emphasizing a vital, creative force that thrives in self-overcoming.
Camus’s Soul:
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger, something better, pushing right back.” ~Camus
Albert Camus complements this by framing the soul within the context of the absurd—the conflict between our desire for meaning and the universe’s indifference. In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus portrays the soul as an act of rebellion, a refusal to succumb to despair or nihilism. The soul, in Camus’ view, is the courage to live passionately and authentically, embracing life’s absurdity without resorting to false transcendence.
Becker’s Soul:
“The soul is man’s desperate attempt to give meaning to his fleeting existence, a cry against the void of death, clothed in the symbols of his culture.” ~Becker
Ernest Becker, in The Denial of Death, grounds the soul in our confrontation with mortality. He argues that the soul emerges from our attempts to transcend the terror of death through symbolic immortality—whether via art, culture, or heroic acts. Becker’s soul is both fragile and resilient, a construct that seeks significance against the backdrop of our finite existence, driven by what he calls the “vital lie” of meaning-making.
Jung’s Soul:
“The soul is the living thing in man, that which lives of itself and causes life. It is the inner spark, the bridge to the eternal, seeking wholeness through the chaos of the psyche.” ~Jung
Carl Jung adds depth by locating the soul within the collective unconscious, a reservoir of archetypes and symbols that connect individuals to universal human experiences. For Jung, the soul is the Self, the totality of the psyche striving for individuation—the integration of conscious and unconscious elements. The soul, in this sense, is a journey toward wholeness, mediated through dreams, myths, and creative expression.
Plato’s Soul:
“We are not bodies with souls, but souls with bodies; the soul is the divine spark that yearns for truth and eternity.” ~Plato
In works like Phaedo and The Republic, Plato conceives of the soul as an immortal, divine essence temporarily housed in the body. He divides the soul into three parts—reason, spirit, and appetite—arguing that its ultimate purpose is to seek truth and align with the eternal Forms, particularly the Good. For Plato, the soul is pre-existent and eternal, yearning for liberation from the material world through philosophical contemplation. His view contrasts with the existentialist perspectives by emphasizing a metaphysical transcendence, yet it shares a focus on the soul’s pursuit of higher meaning.
Rumi’s Soul:
“The soul has been given its own ears to hear things the mind does not understand.” ~Rumi
The 13th-century Persian poet and mystic Rumi views the soul as a divine spark, intimately connected to the eternal Beloved (God). In his poetry, such as The Masnavi, the soul is a wayfarer on a journey back to its divine source, guided by love and intuition. Rumi emphasizes the soul’s capacity to transcend rational thought, as seen in his metaphor of the soul having “its own ears” to hear what the mind cannot. His mystical perspective aligns with Jung’s archetypal depth, adding a poetic and spiritual dimension to the soul’s longing for unity.
Frankl’s Soul:
“The soul is that which finds meaning in suffering, the force that turns tragedy into a triumph of the human spirit.” ~Frankl
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and founder of logotherapy, defines the soul as the core of human resilience and meaning-making. He sees the soul as the dimension of the self that finds purpose even in the face of unimaginable suffering. For Frankl, the soul is not a metaphysical entity but a psychological and existential force that enables individuals to transcend despair by discovering a “why” to live. His view resonates with Camus’ defiance and Becker’s quest for significance, grounding the soul in human agency.
Weil’s Soul:
“The soul is the human cry for the infinite, a longing that binds us to the eternal even as we dwell in the finite.” ~Weil
Simone Weil’s Soul: The French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil, in works like Gravity and Grace, describes the soul as a bridge between the finite and the infinite, marked by a deep longing for God and truth. She sees the soul as vulnerable yet sacred, shaped by suffering and attention to the world’s beauty and pain. Weil’s soul is both a receiver of divine grace and an active participant in ethical life, striving to overcome ego through self-emptying love. Her perspective echoes Jung’s individuation and Nietzsche’s struggle, but with a distinctly spiritual humility.
Together, these thinkers suggest that the soul is not a fixed or supernatural entity but a dynamic process. It is the interplay of Nietzsche’s creative assertion, Camus’ defiant embrace of the absurd, Becker’s quest for transcendence, Jung’s pursuit of psychic integration, incorporating Plato’s metaphysical idealism, Rumi’s mystical poetry, Frankl’s existential resilience, and Weil’s spiritual ethics. Together, they reinforce the soul as a dynamic nexus of human striving, bridging the personal and the universal with the temporal and the eternal.
Philosophical definition of the Soul:
Governing these precepts, the soul is: the dynamic, individuated essence of a person, embodying the tension between the universe’s inherent indifference and the drive toward creating meaning where none is given while forging authentic existence in the face of uncertainty and absurdity.
It is a synthesis of Nietzsche’s will to power, Camus’ defiance in the face of the absurd, Becker’s confrontation with mortality, Jung’s archetypal unconscious, Plato’s pursuit of higher meaning, Rumi’s divine spark, Frankl’s human agency, and Weil’s spiritual humility striving for self-realization through creative struggle and symbolic integration.
In practical terms, the soul manifests in our moments of courage, creativity, and self-reflection—when we confront our fears, embrace our individuality, and seek connection to something greater. It is both deeply personal and universally human, a paradox that encapsulates the essence of our existence. To live soulfully is to engage in this ongoing struggle, to dance with life’s absurdity, and to craft a legacy of meaning that echoes beyond our mortal limits.
Image source:
By Graham Yarrington
About the Author:
Gary Z McGee, a former Navy Intelligence Specialist turned philosopher, is the author of Birthday Suit of God and The Looking Glass Man. His works are inspired by the great philosophers of the ages and his wide-awake view of the modern world.
This article (Defining the Soul) was originally created and published by Self-inflicted Philosophy and is printed here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Gary Z McGee and self-inflictedphilosophy.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this statement of copyright.
