Interesting question. You have already answered it using beliefs and moral codes, so I will try to answer it by using the History of Philosophy.
Heraclit- "spiritual damage" means a gap in the Universal law- the state of "unconscious reason"- however, it isn't linked to man(who is analyzed only as a number, a simple part of the all-inteligent environment)
Plato- he links "spiritual damage" to Gods and the pursuit of Good (the laws- One and The undetermined Diada)- according to his writings, the human beings can surpass this state either by finding their ideal half (The myth of the Androgyn), or by forming a group of disciples ("equals"), that can pass their knowledge (and their spirit, who is identical with their knowledge) to the next generations.
Epicur- spiritual damage= an anomaly/error/aberation/ in the atomical ranks ( the spirit is an atom of superior qualities) that leads to the diversity of life and species
Spinoza- state of the human mind and soul linked to ignorance, that can "heal" if a certain person dedicates his life to the study of the Divine Laws, entering into the Supreme freedom, by uniting his will with the one of God through knowledge.
Rousseau- damage inflicted by the society to the ordinary man, who is "in chains" when in the middle of the civilised world- Rousseau proposes a return to the Primitive state, when man was absolutely happy as his own master (in a hedonistic way),not knowing the meaning of "spirit" and "damage".
Pascal- the normal state of man, that acts as his condition. The greatness of the human being resides in his capacity to accept a tragical destiny (being a prey of the "spiritual damage")
Nietzsche- state of spiritual decadence belonging to the little man- the one that considers the great one to be guilty of defying the moral law- deficiency of the slaves and of the dogmatic philosophers, of the religious followers that do not believe in the Death of God and the ascension of Man to a state of Divinity
Camus- Man can never escape spiritual damage, that is always present in an absurd existence, in which the pursuit of happiness finds limits everywhere- man is (like in Pascal's philosophy) convicted to spiritual decay and suffering
Blaga (a Romanian philosopher) - he opposes Charles Darwin's idea of biological progress and Bergson's theories of "Homo Faber", believing that man represents "an ontological mutation", a different essence. He is the only being that can sacrifice its freedom for the sake of creation, the only one that builds for aesthetic reasons, and not only for surviving in an hostile environment. Through culture, man can surpass all the problems of life and death - and, of course, the spiritual damage-
I personally agree with Blaga. See you, guys... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />



Last edited by Burn; 28/01/05 05:18 PM.