How does Scientology define the human soul?
The human soul is the individual itself; it is you yourself, not your body, not your brain or your mind. You play the lead, and it is all about making you able to return to your native state.
Everybody has questions like: What is the essence of man? What is motivating him? What makes him human, what makes him inhuman? What is at the bottom of his individuality?
Is man just the sum of his experiences? Is aware existence just an illusion? Is every impulse ultimately based on experience? The assumption that the spiritual part of man comes from the physical part and is dependent on it only brought about more confusion and was not ultimately demonstrable.
Obviously the characteristics that constitute an individual and make him unique stem from a source which we cannot perceive in a physical way; we cannot see, smell or feel it. You can call it whatever you like: spirit, spiritual being, soul, psyche, individual or the self – all of these are names or synonyms for the phenomenon generally viewed as “I.“ By experiences or education it can be strengthened, weakened or even seemingly vanish – but it is always there. This seeming inexplicability of the psyche has always been an inspiration for lyricists and mystics, but it can be perceived by every sensitive being.
In Scientology we regard man as a spiritual being, not as a body or a part of the body. The spiritual being – we call it “thetan“ – owns a body and uses it as a means to play in this physical universe.
Man is an individual spiritual being with special abilities, he is subject to external influences and often he is also formed by his experiences to a marked degree. Man as a whole is a composite of all these factors, mingled with each other, which form his individuality.