âmes

âmes is the plural of âme, the French word for the immaterial essence of a person or being, commonly translated as "soul." In French, l'âme can denote the conscious self, the bearer of personality and moral life, and in religious or spiritual contexts, an immortal or spiritual principle. The term appears across philosophy, theology, psychology, and literature, where it is tied to questions of identity, agency, and afterlife.

The âme derives from Latin anima. The circumflex in âme marks historical orthographic changes in French.

Historically, the soul has been debated from ancient to modern times. Plato and Aristotle assigned it as a life-principle or rational center; medieval scholastics such as Thomas Aquinas described immaterial faculties; Cartesian dualism posited res cogitans distinct from body. Modern and contemporary debates examine consciousness and personal identity, with some approaches questioning the coherent existence of a fixed "soul."

In Christianity, the soul is often seen as immortal and accountable to God after death. In Islam, Hinduism, and other traditions, related concepts include ruh and atman or a spiritual essence, with diverse beliefs about reincarnation, liberation, or judgment. In literature and everyday language, l'âme expresses inner life, temperament, and moral sensibility; phrases like âme sœur highlight personal connection.

In contemporary discourse, neuroscience and philosophy of mind challenge traditional notions of the soul by focusing on consciousness, emotion, and identity, while some thinkers retain a personal or spiritual center as a useful metaphor.