A deal with the devil is a cultural motif in European folklore, with the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles the memorable examples. The "Bargain with the devil" constitutes motif number M210 and "Man sells soul to devil" motif number M211 in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature. There's probably a long, long list of examples.
Wikipedia says: "The search for the location of the human soul probably dates back to the awareness of such an entity. Termed atman by ancient Indian philosophers, psyche by the Greek and anima by the Romans, it has been considered resident within, but distinct from the human body. Many consider it immortal, postulating death to be the consequence of the departure of the soul from the body."
I found a medical paper HERE at the National Institutes of Health website that delves into the question: Is there is any point in searching for the location of the soul?
The Medical Scientists' answer: "The answer must be in a resounding affirmative. The efforts over millennia to determine the nature and discover the location of the soul have resulted in a better understanding of the wonderful structure and function of man and his place in the cosmos."
How interesting to read an academic analysis of this question. There is so much activity throughout medical history in seeking the answers.
For the philosophy discipline's answers to the question, the LiveScience website Here has an article - Does Your 'Self' Have a Soul? The introduction says that the soul is far out of favour with most contemporary philosophers.
This would explain to me how the 'deal with the devil' takes the form of a cultural motif in our current thinking. Of course you can go to 'forums' where the Q and A are on this topic...
The Sundance layout in Florida is our subject today.
