ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the concept of the human soul. It summarises the history of thinking on the soul and categorises the broad schools of thought about it using the categories of materialism, dualism, and belief in god(s). It then maps the soul to consciousness, noting that the words have often been conflated or used interchangeably, depending on context. The chapter then examines the difference between so-called source code and executable code, where executable code is the ‘black box’ that is handed over as the solution. But without access to its source code, the logic and rules behind the executable code can only be guessed at. In this context, the soul could be understood as the source code of consciousness, or the design that lies behind it.
