Editing SG33SHS-T (section)

=== 12. Spirit-Flesh Dualism in Primitive Societies ===

In this regard, scholars who have studied the notion that “the primitive people of Australia are the remnants of our distant ancestors” provide the following explanation:

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Primitive people, due to their limited knowledge, cannot fully comprehend the concept of natural death. They do not believe that they must die sooner or later. (This is still true for infants [note by Seno’o].) However, when an unnatural death occurs, their behavior changes. Primitive people witness such unnatural deaths almost daily during hunting. In these cases, they consistently observe a similar scene. The wounded animal, struck by a spear or an axe, falls down; blood flows from the wound, and as the blood flows, the animal becomes motionless and stops breathing. In other words, it dies. From this, the following theory is derived: when blood flows out of the body, the life force that had previously animated the body, or in other words, the spirit, leaves the body.

According to the beliefs of primitive people, the soul that has departed from the body continues to exist independently as the deceased’s twin. Through this process, it becomes a spirit. This notion is confirmed through the act of dreaming. From a psychological standpoint, primitive people can be considered “naive realists.” Everything they see or inquire about is considered a tangible reality for them. (The same applies to children [note by Seno’o].) For example, when an aboriginal person in Australia sees themselves hunting or participating in a feast in their dream, they genuinely believe that their soul has engaged in those activities. They cannot explain dreaming in any other way. Primitive people perceive spirits as the twins of humans. Therefore, it is only natural that they have established customs and habits concerning spirits. In times of need, primitive people consistently seek assistance from the spirits of those kin in their community who have died. This is not at all surprising to them. They believe it is their responsibility to take care of the spirits of their deceased relatives. In certain aboriginal communities in Australia, it is a widespread custom to offer various delicacies on the graves of the deceased for several days after death. Failure to do so, according to their beliefs, may result in the spirits of the deceased causing harm or seeking revenge upon their fellow community members.<ref>M. Fingert and B. Shirvindt, ''A Short Textbook of Historical Materialism'', 6th ed. (Leningrad: Pribol, 1930); for the Japanese translation, see Puroretaria Kagaku Kenkyūjō プロレタリア科學研究所, ed., ''Shiteki yuibutsuron kyōtei'' 史的唯物論教程 (Kyōseikaku, 1931). Seno’o does not provide a page number or range for this quotation.</ref>
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Just as in the case of the belief that mummies have souls that depart and return to their vessel—the physical body—such notions are said to originate from superstitions. This belief can be considered a simplistic interpretation by ignorant and uncivilized people, who naturally began to think of spirits and bodies in a dualistic manner. However, such a dualistic concept of spirit and body has become increasingly untenable in learned discourse. At the very least, the mind and the body are two aspects of a living organism, where subjectively the mind is considered to be mental activity, but objectively, there is no other way than to view it as a function of the body. In other words, if there were a complete duality and continued freedom after death, it would be difficult to explain why physical malfunctions hold sway over mental activity. Clearly, mental activity is an inseparable phenomenon dependent on the body. When the body dies, the mind also ceases to exist, just like a flame extinguishing when the firewood burns out. It is therefore reasonable to believe that no individual spirits or personal souls continue to exist after death.