| Summary: | Is it possible for the soul to emerge from matter? This question is the topic of our study. Philosophical inquiries that deal with this question must be rooted in certain theoretical presuppositions. We examine three of these. „Creationism“ or „fixism“ denies in principle the possibility that spiritual reality could ever emerge from matter. According to this position such occurence is always the resuit of direct divine creative intervention. The „physical reductionist“ position holds that the reality we call soul comes into existence through an immanent evolution of matter. „Moderate evolutionists“ on the other hand are convinced that God created the spiritual soul in such manner that the creative activity was joined with material reality, which through its immanent evolution become capable of receiving the soul. Our study evaluates these positions and shows that, while containing valid observations, they cannot be endorsed without further ado. The analysis of the „physicalist reductionist“ view receives the most attention. We show its affirmation cannot be verified; in fact they lead to contradiction. We also indicate that the human person is capable of activities that in principle cannot originate in matter as understood by physics. Activities of this kind are exhibited in human thinking that occurs in the sphere of unconditional validity. They appear in morally accountable deeds that are subject to the requirements of an absolute obligation. They are also fund in free human decisions that presuppose a subject capable of selfdetermination. This view however places correctly the emphasis on evolution. The resolution of our questions requires that we show first how the Coming into existence of the spiritual soul from matter can be explained, given the fact that matter is being considered lower in the order of existence. We achieve this with the use of the notion of „selftranscendence“ as elaborated by Karl Rahner. After this step wie have to clarify the precise relationship between matter and spirit. This leads us to the Statement, that it is not matter, but the spiritual soul that possesses real substantiality by being present to itself. In the human person therefore spirit and matter are not to be separated into distinct entities. Rather, the State of being in-itself (substantiality) for the human person is rooted in the soul, which because its limitation is material. It follows from this understanding of substantiality (being-in-itself) that the matter has potentiality for becoming spirit. This is why we can say that the spiritual soul is the result of self-transcendence by matter.
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