Soul vs. Mind — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 28, 2023
The soul is often considered the eternal, spiritual essence of an individual, while the mind pertains to one's consciousness, thoughts, and cognitive functions.
Difference Between Soul and Mind
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
The soul is a concept deeply rooted in religious, philosophical, and cultural contexts. It's often viewed as the immortal and divine essence of a being. The mind, however, is associated with consciousness, intellect, and the complex interplay of thoughts and emotions.
While the soul is believed by many to continue its existence after physical death, the mind is closely tied to the brain's functions and is considered temporal. When the brain ceases to function, so does the mind, at least in a conventional biological understanding.
The soul often embodies one's moral, ethical, or spiritual nature, representing the core of one's being. In contrast, the mind is where cognitive processes occur, including reasoning, memory, and perception. It's the seat of thought, understanding, and decision-making.
Many debates and discussions revolve around the connection between the soul and mind. Some argue the soul influences the mind, while others see them as distinct entities. Despite their differences, both concepts delve into understanding the essence and nature of human existence.
Lastly, while the soul's existence is a matter of belief and varies across cultures and religions, the existence and workings of the mind are more empirically studied, especially in fields like psychology and neuroscience.
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Spiritual, eternal essence.
Consciousness, cognitive processes.
Continuation after life
Often believed to continue post-death.
Ceases with brain function.
Associated with
Morality, spirituality, divine essence.
Reasoning, memory, perception, emotions.
Studied in
Religion, philosophy.
Psychology, neuroscience.
Existence
Matter of belief and varies across cultures.
Empirically studied and largely accepted.
Compare with Definitions
Soul
The immortal, spiritual essence of an individual.
Many believe the soul continues its journey after death.
Mind
The state of being aware.
Be mindful of your surroundings.
Soul
The emotional or moral force in a person.
His soul was tormented by guilt.
Mind
A person's inclination or desire.
She's of a curious mind.
Soul
The vital, animating principle in humans.
The belief that all living things have a soul.
Mind
An individual's perception or judgment.
It's all in the mind.
Soul
In many religious, philosophical, and mythological traditions, the soul is the incorporeal essence of a living being. Soul or psyche (Ancient Greek: ψυχή psykhḗ, of ψύχειν psýkhein, "to breathe", cf.
Mind
The mind is the set of faculties responsible for mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves.
Soul
The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
Mind
The faculty of a human or other animal by which it thinks, perceives, feels, remembers, or desires
Studying the relation between the brain and the mind.
Soul
Emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance
Their interpretation lacked soul
Mind
A person of great mental ability
The great minds of the century.
Soul
The essence or embodiment of a specified quality
He was the soul of discretion
Brevity is the soul of wit
Mind
Individual consciousness, memory, or recollection
I'll bear the problem in mind.
Soul
A part of humans regarded as immaterial, immortal, separable from the body at death, capable of moral judgment, and susceptible to happiness or misery in a future state.
Mind
Opinion or sentiment
He changed his mind when he heard all the facts.
Soul
This part of a human when disembodied after death.
Mind
Desire or inclination
She had a mind to spend her vacation in the desert.
Soul
In Aristotelian philosophy, an animating or vital principle inherent in living things and endowing them in various degrees with the potential to grow and reproduce, to move and respond to stimuli (as in the case of animals), and to think rationally (as in the case of humans).
Mind
Focus of thought; attention
I can't keep my mind on work.
Soul
A human
“the homes of some nine hundred souls” (Garrison Keillor).
Mind
A healthy mental state; sanity
Losing one's mind.
Soul
A person considered as the embodiment of an intangible quality; a personification
I am the very soul of discretion.
Mind
The thought processes characteristic of a person or group; psychological makeup
The criminal mind.
The public mind.
Soul
A person's emotional or moral nature
“An actor is ... often a soul which wishes to reveal itself to the world but dare not” (Alec Guinness).
Mind
(Philosophy) The phenomena of intelligence, cognition, or consciousness, regarded as a material or immaterial aspect of reality.
Soul
The central or integral part; the vital core
“It saddens me that this network ... may lose its soul, which is after all the quest for news” (Marvin Kalb).
Mind
To pay attention to
Mind closely what I tell you.
Soul
A sense of emotional strength or spiritual vitality held to derive from black and especially African American cultural experience, expressed in areas such as language, social customs, religion, and music.
Mind
To be careful about
Mind the icy sidewalk!.
Soul
Strong, deeply felt emotion conveyed by a speaker, performer, or artist
A performance that had a lot of soul.
Mind
To heed in order to obey
The children minded their babysitter.
Soul
Soul music.
Mind
To take care or charge of; look after
We minded the children while their parents went out.
Soul
The spirit or essence of a person usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and personality, often believed to live on after the person's death.
Mind
The capability for rational thought.
Despite advancing age, his mind was still as sharp as ever.
Soul
The spirit or essence of anything.
Mind
The ability to be aware of things.
There was no doubt in his mind that they would win.
Soul
Life, energy, vigor.
Mind
The ability to remember things.
My mind just went blank.
Soul
(music) Soul music.
Mind
The ability to focus the thoughts.
I can’t keep my mind on what I’m doing.
Soul
A person, especially as one among many.
Mind
Somebody that embodies certain mental qualities.
He was one of history’s greatest minds.
Soul
An individual life.
Fifty souls were lost when the ship sank.
Mind
Judgment, opinion, or view.
He changed his mind after hearing the speech.
Soul
(math) A kind of submanifold involved in the soul theorem of Riemannian geometry.
Mind
Desire, inclination, or intention.
She had a mind to go to Paris.
I have half a mind to do it myself.
I am of a mind to listen.
Soul
To endow with a soul or mind.
Mind
A healthy mental state.
I, ______ being of sound mind and body, do herebynb...
You are losing your mind.
Soul
To beg on All Soul's Day.
Mind
(philosophy) The non-material substance or set of processes in which consciousness, perception, affectivity, judgement, thinking, and will are based.
The mind is a process of the brain.
Soul
(obsolete) To afford suitable sustenance.
Mind
Continual prayer on a dead person's behalf for a period after their death.
A month's [or monthly] mind; a year's mind
Soul
Sole.
Mind
(uncountable) Attention, consideration or thought.
Soul
By or for African-Americans, or characteristic of their culture; as, soul music; soul newspapers; soul food.
Mind
To bring or recall to mind; to remember; bear or keep in mind.
Soul
To afford suitable sustenance.
Mind
To remember.
Soul
To indue with a soul; to furnish with a soul or mind.
Mind
To remind; put one's mind on.
Soul
The spiritual, rational, and immortal part in man; that part of man which enables him to think, and which renders him a subject of moral government; - sometimes, in distinction from the higher nature, or spirit, of man, the so-called animal soul, that is, the seat of life, the sensitive affections and phantasy, exclusive of the voluntary and rational powers; - sometimes, in distinction from the mind, the moral and emotional part of man's nature, the seat of feeling, in distinction from intellect; - sometimes, the intellect only; the understanding; the seat of knowledge, as distinguished from feeling. In a more general sense, "an animating, separable, surviving entity, the vehicle of individual personal existence."
The eyes of our souls only then begin to see, when our bodily eyes are closing.
Mind
To turn one's mind to; to observe; to notice.
Soul
The seat of real life or vitality; the source of action; the animating or essential part.
Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul.
Mind
To regard with attention; to treat as of consequence.
Soul
The leader; the inspirer; the moving spirit; the heart; as, the soul of an enterprise; an able general is the soul of his army.
He is the very soul of bounty!
Mind
To pay attention or heed to so as to obey; hence to obey; to make sure, to take care (that).
Mind you don't knock that glass over.
Soul
Energy; courage; spirit; fervor; affection, or any other noble manifestation of the heart or moral nature; inherent power or goodness.
That he wants algebra he must confess;But not a soul to give our arms success.
Mind
To pay attention to, in the sense of occupying one's mind with, to heed.
You should mind your own business.
Soul
A human being; a person; - a familiar appellation, usually with a qualifying epithet; as, poor soul.
As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
God forbid so many simple soulsShould perish by the sword!
Now mistress Gilpin (careful soul).
Mind
To look after, to take care of, especially for a short period of time.
Would you mind my bag for me?
Soul
A pure or disembodied spirit.
That to his only Son . . . every soul in heavenShall bend the knee.
Mind
To be careful about.
Soul
A perceived shared community and awareness among African-Americans.
Mind
To purpose, intend, plan.
Soul
Soul music.
Mind
Take note; used to point out an exception or caveat.
I'm not very healthy. I do eat fruit sometimes, mind.
Soul
The immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
Mind
(originally and chiefly in negative or interrogative constructions) To dislike, to object to; to be bothered by.
I wouldn't mind an ice cream right now.
Do you mind if I smoke?
Soul
A human being;
There was too much for one person to do
Mind
The intellectual or rational faculty in man; the understanding; the intellect; the power that conceives, judges, or reasons; also, the entire spiritual nature; the soul; - often in distinction from the body.
By the mind of man we understand that in him which thinks, remembers, reasons, wills.
What we mean by mind is simply that which perceives, thinks, feels, wills, and desires.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
The mind shall banquet, though the body pine.
Soul
Deep feeling or emotion
Mind
The state, at any given time, of the faculties of thinking, willing, choosing, and the like; psychical activity or state;
A fool uttereth all his mind.
Being so hard to me that brought your mind, I fear she'll prove as hard to you in telling her mind.
Soul
The human embodiment of something;
The soul of honor
Mind
Choice; inclination; liking; intent; will.
If it be your minds, then let none go forth.
Soul
A secular form of gospel that was a major Black musical genre in the 1960s and 1970s;
Soul was politically significant during the Civil Rights movement
Mind
Memory; remembrance; recollection; as, to have or keep in mind, to call to mind, to put in mind, etc.
Soul
The embodiment of certain qualities or characteristics.
She's the soul of discretion.
Mind
Courage; spirit.
Soul
A person's deep emotional feelings.
Music that touches the soul.
Mind
To fix the mind or thoughts on; to regard with attention; to treat as of consequence; to consider; to heed; to mark; to note.
My lord, you nod: you do not mind the play.
Mind
To occupy one's self with; to employ one's self about; to attend to; as, to mind one's business.
Bidding him be a good child, and mind his book.
Mind
To obey; as, to mind parents; the dog minds his master.
Mind
To have in mind; to purpose.
I mind to tell him plainly what I think.
Mind
To put in mind; to remind.
He minded them of the mutability of all earthly things.
I do thee wrong to mind thee of it.
Mind
To give attention or heed; to obey; as, the dog minds well.
Mind
That which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason;
His mind wandered
I couldn't get his words out of my head
Mind
Recall or remembrance;
It came to mind
Mind
An opinion formed by judging something;
He was reluctant to make his judgment known
She changed her mind
Mind
An important intellectual;
The great minds of the 17th century
Mind
Attention;
Don't pay him any mind
Mind
Your intention; what you intend to do;
He had in mind to see his old teacher
The idea of the game is to capture all the pieces
Mind
Knowledge and intellectual ability;
He reads to improve his mind
He has a keen intellect
Mind
Be offended or bothered by; take offense with, be bothered by;
I don't mind your behavior
Mind
Be concerned with or about something or somebody
Mind
Be in charge of or deal with;
She takes care of all the necessary arrangements
Mind
Pay close attention to; give heed to;
Heed the advice of the old men
Mind
Be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to;
Beware of telephone salesmen
Mind
Keep in mind
Mind
The seat of consciousness, thought, and emotion.
He changed his mind after hearing the argument.
Mind
One's intellect or memory.
The event slipped her mind.
Common Curiosities
Is the soul connected to religion?
Yes, the concept of the soul is often rooted in religious beliefs and teachings.
Is the soul considered immortal?
Many religious and philosophical beliefs hold that the soul is immortal.
Is the mind solely a product of the brain?
While closely linked, many believe the mind is more than just brain functions, encompassing consciousness and cognition.
How is the mind linked to emotions?
Emotions are cognitive responses and are processed within the mind.
Can the soul be seen or touched?
The soul is generally considered intangible and not directly perceivable.
Can the mind change over time?
Yes, the mind can evolve due to experiences, learning, and cognitive development.
Is the soul the same as spirit?
While often used interchangeably, some differentiate between the soul (essence of an individual) and spirit (universal consciousness or force).
Can the mind be trained?
Yes, through practices like meditation, education, and cognitive exercises, the mind can be trained.
Is the soul tangible?
The soul is typically viewed as intangible, a non-material essence.
Can diseases affect the mind?
Yes, diseases, especially neurological ones, can affect cognitive functions and the mind.
Does psychology study the mind or the soul?
Psychology primarily studies the mind, its functions, and behavior.
Do all cultures believe in the concept of the soul?
While many cultures have concepts akin to the soul, beliefs vary widely.
Can one's soul be "lost" or "sold"?
Such concepts are metaphorical or spiritual interpretations and vary by cultural or religious beliefs.
Is the concept of the soul universal?
While widespread, interpretations of the soul differ across religions, philosophies, and cultures.
How is the mind studied scientifically?
The mind is studied using various techniques in neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.