Does the soul exist and who made up the idea?

Answer 1

The soul, in many religious, philosophical, psychological, and mythological traditions, is the incorporeal and, in many conceptions, immortal essence of a person, living thing, or object. According to some religions, including the Abrahamic religions in most of their forms, souls - or at least immortal souls capable of union with the divine - belong only to human beings. For example, the Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas attributed "soul" (anima) to all organisms but taught that only human souls are immortal. Other religions (most notably Jainism) teach that all biological organisms have souls, and others further still that non-biological entities (such as rivers and mountains) possess souls. This latter belief is called animism. Anima mundi and the Dharmic Ātman are concepts of a "world soul."

Soul can function as a synonym for spirit, mind, psycheor self.

Answer:

The existence of human souls was not a made-up idea. It was the tradition of all mankind. No natural society ever existed that did not believe in the existence of the soul.