Issue #27

Abstract: The article in the historical and philosophical vein presents a study of various descriptions of the phenomenon of the soul from antiquity to modernity, a phenomenon and a concept that is one of the most fundamental and, at the same time, vague concepts in the history of human thought. Some philosophers understood the «soul» as an intangible substance and carrier of life, others saw in it a special function of a living human organism or only a physiological form of reaction. Such a reduction of the soul to the physical level, in the opinion of the author of the article, is not only a matter of philosophy, but also has significant consequences in social life in the aspect of responsibility and individual freedom. The study is aimed primarily at clarifying the soul as an intangible phenomenon and as the basis of the human personality.