This reflection was first shared in 2018. I have revisited it with a shorter, updated version because the question still resonates today: Does the soul survive death?
Does the Soul Survive Death?
For centuries, people have asked whether the soul lives on after the body dies. Is it separate from our flesh, or is it woven into who we are? Some call it the “seat” of character and emotion, though that may be more metaphor than fact.
Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle wrote about the soul, and in modern times, historian Will Durant also reflected on it. Durant believed life was filled with vitality, yet he doubted the soul could survive the body’s death. His conclusion reflected a deterministic view, even though he valued individuality, free will, and the universe’s drive to create life.
Today, science points to new possibilities. Mathematicians and string theorists suggest our reality may include many more dimensions than the four we know. If so, the soul may not end with death, but continue in ways we cannot yet see.
My faith leads me to that conclusion. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe the soul separates from the body at death and is later reunited in resurrection. What we learn, practice, and become in this life, our values, character, and spirit, carry forward. That makes the way we live today not just important, but eternal.