What do we mean by the term soul?

My question to the cultures of the world

Abstract

All over the world, in every corner of the globe, so to speak, the idea of a soul has always been and continues to be cultivated. In many different ways. In practically all cultures, there has been and continues to be the belief that humans have a soul. And almost always and everywhere, belief in a soul means that it is a part of a person that survives their physical existence. The question here is how and where, and many answers are found.

In this article, the author embarks on a search for the soul by examining as many cultures and major religions as possible to find out what was and is perceived and described as the soul in each case. This is a summary of the original 78-page manuscript (which can be requested from the author if interested).