[technobabble]

Have you ever heard of the term "christian atheist". Your post reminded me about a video by the Youtuber Innuendo Studios titled "I hate Mondays".

(The following is my opinion taken from anecdotes about myself and reading about other philosophical works. I am not an expert on this subject).

The idea of "having a soul" is a core belief that is needed to hold up ideas of morals and debt. It's an idea perpetuated because people want to be flattered and people in positions of power can use it to influence the masses. As an example, think about when a person refuses to vote "for the lesser of two evils" in the US presidential election. From a utilitarian perspective, voting for the lesser does have benefit: it mitigates damage. But to the voter, it doesn't feel that way. "Having a soul" Does provide social value. Not voting for the lesser of two evils preserves ones integrity.

Granted I'm not saying people should transition to Realpolitik.

[kuroguro]

Definitely a good point, but I have trouble believing that that's all there is to it. Having a soul / the afterlife seems to span most of human history and religions and it isn't always tied to morals. Humans seem to spontaneously come up with the idea on their own so I would lean towards something more innate in how the mind works.