Spirits are software / computer programs
But algorithms / ideas are only real to the degree they’re implemented, to the degree they’re actually running in some physical substrate (i.e. computation).
Link to originalIdeas become a material force when they grip the mind of the masses.
Link to originalThe aristotelian soul
There are three souls.
The vegetative soul we find in plants (growth, nutrition, morphology).
The animal soul (decision-making, perception).
The human soul adds reason (the ability to reflect and make sense of your condition).
Our culture still sees the (non-cognitive) soul as a plant-like being organizing the our body/the interactions in our body, with considerable intelligence, but also a mind of its own, somewhat decoupled from the fast-paced patterns in the nervous system.
At some point in this progression, reflection gets decoupled from perception. We are good at holding abstract thoughts for as long as we want.