4616. About the interaction of the soul with the body
Nothing can be learned about the interaction of the soul unless it is known what the soul is. It is impossible to speak of the interaction of something known, as is the body, with something entirely unknown as to its every quality. Who at this day knows anything regarding what the soul is? Do not some imagine it as something flaming, some as something ethereal, others as thought in some kind of entity, and still others as pure thought without an underlying substance from which [it proceeds]? The thought about the soul held at the present day is clearly evident from the fact that that they assign it a seat in some part of the body, some put it in the heart, others in some part of the head, in the striated body, in the ventricle in the striated substance, even in the little pineal gland. Yet, even though this shows that at this day it is entirely unknown what the soul is; they certainly believe that it continues to exist after death, but that it is kept in a certain pu 1until the Day of Judgment. If the question is asked whether the soul has any form, there is a fear of giving an answer. [This is true] also in regard to what its nature is.
Footnotes:
1. Latin for "somewhere"
4616. CONCERNING THE INTERACTION OF THE SOUL WITH THE BODY.
(Nothing can be known concerning the interaction of the soul, unless it is known what the soul is. It is impossible to speak of the interaction of something known, as is the body, with a thing entirely unknown as to all its quality. Who, at this day, knows anything as to what the soul is? Do not some regard it as a flaming something? some as an ethereal something? others a thinking something, [existing] in some such way as in a subject? others as a pure thinking something, without a substantial form by which [to exist]? What manner of opinion is held concerning the soul, is plainly manifest from this, that they assign it a seat in some part of the body: some in the heart, some in some part of the head, in the corpus striatum in the stomach, in the striated substance, yea, in the little pineal gland! Yea, indeed, from this it is plain, that, at this day, it is entirely unknown what the soul is, since [men] believe that, after death, it remains indeed, but is kept in a certain somewhere (Pu) till the judgment-day. If it should be asked whether it has any form, it is feared to reply thereto consequently, [they believe], also, that it has no quality.
4616. De animae commercio cum corpore
De commercio animae nihil sciri potest, nisi sciatur quid anima, commercium dicere alicujus rei cognitae, ut est corpus, cum re prorsus incognita quoad omne suum quale, impossibile est; quis hodie aliquid novit quid anima? annon quidam putant esse flammeum quid, aliqui aethereum, alii cogitativum in tali ut in subjecto, alii cogitativum purum, absque substantiali forma a qua? quid opinionis de anima habeatur, manifeste patet ab eo, quod assignent illi sedem in aliqua parte corporis, quidam in corde, quidam in capitis aliqua parte, in corpore striato, in ventriculo, in substantia striata, imo in exigua glandula pineali, imo etiam ex eo patet quod ignotissimum hodie sit quid anima, credunt quod post mortem illa quidem maneat, sed teneatur in quodam pu, usque ad judicii diem, si quaeritur, an sit ei aliqua forma, ad hoc timetur respondere, proinde etiam quodnam ei quale.