I am far from comfortable in my understanding of the notion of a
'soul'. I'm not sure I'm convinced such a thing exists. Consciousness
apparently exists, but then again, what exactly constitutes
consciousness? If a human is conscious, is an ape? Is a dog? Is a
lobster? I can appreciate the desire to define 'soul' for practical
purposes, but I still get a bit stuck. Perhaps soul and consciousness
can be viewed as different aspects of the same thing--something called
'being'. Within complex organisms (humans), 'being' is a highly
intricate concept. Within simple organisms, this same 'being' still
exists, but at a much more rudimentary level.