Aristotle V. Plato
Estelle Rousseau
Ancient Greek Philosophy
Professor Lemos
23 November 2012
Plato and Aristotle’s Contrasting Views on the Nature of the Soul
Both Plato and Aristotle offered theories on the nature of the soul throughout their prolific careers. Though they both agree on the existence of a soul in living things, they diverge in perspective on its ultimate goals, how it exists in relation to the body, what actions benefit and harm it, and whether or not our souls survive our bodies in death. In this paper, I will argue that Plato’s arguments for his theory of the nature of the soul are rife with flaws and contradictions, especially compared to the simple, observable framework of Aristotle’s theory. For this reason, I endorse Aristotle’s theory over Plato’s.
At the time that Plato was actively philosophizing, the majority of people in Greece did not believe in an immortal soul (Phaedo, 70a), and so the ideas that Plato propagated might have contradicted the ‘common sense’ of his likely audience. In the Phaedo, he used the context of Socrates’ final moments as an appropriate setting in which to discuss, among other things, whether a person’s soul survives death. In this dialogue, Plato asserts that the soul is immortal, unchanging, separate from the body, and that it is through the soul that we acquire truth and wisdom. Plato details several theories to explain his conclusions including the Theory of Opposites, the Theory of Recollection and the Affinity Argument. Another good account of Plato’s philosophy on the nature of the soul is found in Book IV of the Republic. There, Plato describes his Tripartite Theory of the Soul and discusses what conditions culture a healthy soul and why it is important.
An key point for Plato is that the soul is an immortal entity, that it was not created at one time and will not reach an end of being. This is possible if one considers that for certain things exist exact opposites. He offers as example, “the beautiful is the
Ancient Greek Philosophy
Professor Lemos
23 November 2012
Plato and Aristotle’s Contrasting Views on the Nature of the Soul
Both Plato and Aristotle offered theories on the nature of the soul throughout their prolific careers. Though they both agree on the existence of a soul in living things, they diverge in perspective on its ultimate goals, how it exists in relation to the body, what actions benefit and harm it, and whether or not our souls survive our bodies in death. In this paper, I will argue that Plato’s arguments for his theory of the nature of the soul are rife with flaws and contradictions, especially compared to the simple, observable framework of Aristotle’s theory. For this reason, I endorse Aristotle’s theory over Plato’s.
At the time that Plato was actively philosophizing, the majority of people in Greece did not believe in an immortal soul (Phaedo, 70a), and so the ideas that Plato propagated might have contradicted the ‘common sense’ of his likely audience. In the Phaedo, he used the context of Socrates’ final moments as an appropriate setting in which to discuss, among other things, whether a person’s soul survives death. In this dialogue, Plato asserts that the soul is immortal, unchanging, separate from the body, and that it is through the soul that we acquire truth and wisdom. Plato details several theories to explain his conclusions including the Theory of Opposites, the Theory of Recollection and the Affinity Argument. Another good account of Plato’s philosophy on the nature of the soul is found in Book IV of the Republic. There, Plato describes his Tripartite Theory of the Soul and discusses what conditions culture a healthy soul and why it is important.
An key point for Plato is that the soul is an immortal entity, that it was not created at one time and will not reach an end of being. This is possible if one considers that for certain things exist exact opposites. He offers as example, “the beautiful is the
Cited: "Ancient Theories of Soul." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 23 Oct. 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/>. Gier, Nick. "Intro to Aristotle." Intro to Aristotle. University of Idaho, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/103/aristotle.htm>.