Whether All Souls Form a Single One?
IF ALL SOULS BE ONE IN THE WORLD-SOUL, WHY SHOULD THEY NOT TOGETHER
FORM ONE?
1. Just as the soul of each animal is one, because she is entirely
present in the whole body, and because she is thus really one, because
she does not have one part in one organ, and some other part in
another; and just as the sense-soul is equally one in all the beings
which feel, and just as the vegetative soul is everywhere entirely
one in each part of the growing plants; why then should your soul and
mine not form a single unity? Why should not all souls form but a
single one? Why should not the universal (Soul) which is present in
all beings, be one because she is not divided in the manner of a body,
being everywhere the same? Why indeed should the soul in myself form
but one, and the universal (Soul) likewise not be one, similarly, since
no more than my own is this universal (Soul) either material extension,
or a body? If both my soul and yours proceed from the universal (Soul),
and if the latter be one, then should my soul and yours together form
but a single one. Or again, on the supposition that the universal
(Soul) and mine proceed from a single soul, even on this hypothesis
would all souls form but a single one. We shall have to examine in what
(this Soul which is but) one consists.