Human soul weight scientific explanation and its journey

Image courtesy google

According to MacDougall’s experiment, the human soul weighs 21 grams. However, this experiment is not considered good science because of its small sample size, methods, and the fact that only one of the six subjects met the hypothesis. The case has been used as an example of selective reporting

Despite its rejection as scientific fact, MacDougall’s experiment popularized the idea that the soul has weight, and specifically that it weighs 21 grams

What is soul in science?

Scientific research has concluded that there is no actual evidence for the existence of a human soul or one for any other known organism.

What are the 3 main types of soul?

Aristotle distinguishes in the De anima three main kinds of souls (the nutritive, the sensitive-locomotive, and the rational) corresponding to plants, animals, and human beings

Macdougall experiment

In 1907, Duncan MacDougall, a physician from Haverhill, Massachusetts, published a scientific study called the 21 grams experiment. In this study, MacDougall hypothesized that souls have physical weight and attempted to measure the mass lost by a human when the soul departs the body. He measured the mass change of six patients at the moment of death, and one of the subjects lost 21.3 grams, or three-quarters of an ounce

Does a dead body weight increase or decrease?

In fact, the opposite is true – the weight of the body decreases after death. This is due to a process called “postmortem dehydration.” After death, the body’s cells no longer have an energy source to maintain their fluid balance, and as a result, water is lost from the body through evaporation

How long does a human brain remain alive after death?

After death, the brain works for 4 minutes, but what is the function of it because our body is totally dead? Yes it’s true that the brain works for some minutes after the death. But here it is important to know the meaning of death

The April 1907 issue of American Medicine featured a paper by Dr. Duncan Macdougall describing his experiment whereby the beds of dying patients were placed on a sensitive balance. Believe it or not, he was trying to weigh the human soul! The paper was titled “Hypothesis Concerning Soul Substance Together with Experimental Evidence of The Existence of Such Substance.” Macdougall of Haverhill, Massachusetts placed six dying patients on the specially constructed balance and concluded that at the moment of death there was a loss in weight of about three quarters of an ounce, or 21 grams. He had previously determined the weight loss attributed to evaporation of moisture form the skin, and by comparison this was sudden and much larger. He even controlled for weight loss due to urine and fecal eliminations and concluded that these could not account for the change in weight. Air loss from the lungs was not the answer either, as he determined by lying on the scale himself and noting that breathing had no effect on weight. After weighing his six patients, Macdougall went to work on dogs. How he got his hands on 15 dying dogs is not clear, but he found no weight loss at the moment they expired. He wasn’t surprised of course because he didn’t think dogs had souls. No one since has confirmed Macdougall’s findings but the movie “21 Grams” was based on this idea.

The 21 gram experiment 🍿 movie

21 Grams is a 2003 American psychological drama film named after the experiment of Dr. Duncan MacDougall, who weighed dying people to determine if the soul has weight. The film explores the work of MacDougall, who popularized the idea that the soul weighs 21 grams, even though scientists do not accept it as true. The film stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Danny Huston, and Benicio Del Toro

The film’s director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, titled the film before filming, referencing the belief that a body loses 21 grams when a person dies. The concept of a soul weighing 21 grams has been mentioned in many media, including the 2013 manga Gantz, the 2013 podcast Welcome to Night Vale, the 2015 film The Empire of Corpses, a 2021 episode of Ted Lasso, and a 2023 issue of the manga One Piece

In the 2003 film 21 Grams, Jack (Sean Penn) runs over a father and his two children while driving his truck. Jack turns himself in, but his wife Marianne (Melissa Leo) gets him out of jail against his will. Jack feels terrible about the hit-and-run and deserts his family to take a construction job in the desert. Paul and Cristina track him down and in a final confrontation, Paul shoots himself and dies while meditating on “21 Grams”. Jack and Cristina rush Paul to the hospital, and Jack tells the police that he was the one who shot Paul, but is released when his story is unable to be confirmed

Human soul scientific 🧪 explanation

The belief that humans have souls is called the soul hypothesis. The soul is considered a non-physical entity that is separate from the physical body, and can carry out its own processes without the brain’s help. However, scientific research has concluded that there is no actual evidence for the existence of a human soul or one for any other known organism. 

Some scientists say that the soul is an impossible mystery to solve given the complexity of the brain. Others are determined to prove that the brain is the key to unlocking the secrets of the soul. In their view, neuroscience is the only branch of scientific study relevant to understanding the soul. 

The concept of life after death, or more specifically conscious awareness after bodily death, is generally referred to in the context of the ‘soul’. Religions like Christianity and Judaism believe that the soul is immortal and exists before and after death, much like the philosophies of Plato and Socrates

In many religions and philosophical traditions, the soul is the non-material essence of a person, which includes their identity, personality, and memories. It is often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self. The soul is regarded as an entity that survives the body after death

The soul is often used interchangeably with the word spirit, but the difference between the two terms is that spirit refers to one’s intangible essence in a regular context. In the Bible, soul and spirit are used interchangeably. 

In Christianity, souls are viewed as: Intangible, Immortal, Capable of being judged after death, and Created by the creator God. 

In Hinduism, the soul can go to seven positive regions and seven negative regions after death. After completing its stay in the respective region, the soul is subjected to rebirth in different living forms according to its karma

The soul journey of after death

According to some, the soul feels a sense of relief after death, forgetting the limitations of the physical body and realizing how free it is. Others believe that the soul enters heaven immediately after death

In some views, the soul continues to exist in a spiritual realm after death. In others, the soul may be reborn into this world and begin the life cycle over again, known as reincarnation

In Hinduism, the soul journeys to seven positive and seven negative regions after death, and is then reborn into a new living form based on its karma. This cycle can be broken by achieving Moksha or Nirvana

According to Britannica, after a year, the soul reaches Yama’s seat of judgment and is sentenced to a limited term in heaven or hell. After this, the soul moves into another body, whose form depends on its karma. 

Some say that at death, the soul feels a sense of relief and freedom, and realizes it exists apart from the mortal body. Others say that the soul will return to the physical realm if it has unfinished business or has not fully evolved. 

According to Hims, some ways to manage the fear of death include:

  • Exercise 
  • Meditation 
  • Talk therapy and support 
  • Changing habits 
  • Learning to spot when you’re getting anxious 
  • Exposure therapy 
  • Seeking professional support 
  • Getting therapy 

Hinduism, the soul goes to a vaporous thumb-sized structure called a linga ṡarīra immediately after death. Two servants of Yama, the god of death, then carry the soul to their master for an identity check

Some traditions believe that the soul passes out through the nose, eyes, and mouth. Others believe it is better if it leaves through the anterior fontanel, an opening in the skull that normally closes during early childhood

Heaven and HellSome believe in the possibility of a heaven on Earth in a world to come. In Hinduism, heaven is considered as Svarga loka. There are seven positive regions the soul can go to after death and seven negative regions

What is afterlife

The afterlife, or life after death, is the belief that some part of a person’s consciousness or identity continues to exist after their physical body dies. In some religions, this continued existence takes place in a spiritual realm, while in others, the person may be reborn into this world, known as reincarnation

Most religions believe that some aspect of an individual survives after death, usually the individual’s soul. Of those religions that include belief in an afterlife, almost all subscribe to one of two versions: reincarnation or an eternal life in either a heaven or a hell. 

The word afterlife can also refer to the later part of a person’s life. For example, “the remarkably productive afterlife of Thomas Jefferson”. 

Synonyms of afterlife include:

  • Life after death 
  • Heaven 
  • Paradise 
  • Nirvana (Buddhism, Hinduism

Please like subscribe comment your precious thoughts on universe discoveries

Full article source google

Best woman and men wear on heavy discount on Amazon

3 thoughts on “Human soul weight scientific explanation and its journey

Leave a Reply