[Buddha-l] Re: animal souls

[Bob Zeuschner]

Stanley J. Ziobro II wrote:
> 
> The Catholic view is that animals have souls, they just are not rational
> or intellectual souls.

What is described above is Aristotle's view of the psyche (Plato's 
tripartite psyche: desires, emotions, reason), imported into 
Christianity via St. Thomas Aquinas (psyche is rational and 
non-rational) in the 13th century.
However, the animal souls are NOT eternal and do not go to heaven.
The rational soul is the one created in the image of God, and only 
humans have that one.
At least that is my understanding of Aquinas, whose ideas are very 
important for the Roman Catholic church.

Of course, in Buddhism I do believe that all animals are in the cycle of 
rebirth, so the processes continues, even if they lack _atman_.
Bob Zeuschner
Dept. of Philosophy
Pasadena City College