Plato and Aristotle's Theories about Soul and Body
Plato and Aristotle are two Greek philosophers that were concerned about the nature of soul and its relationship to the body. Their theories about soul and body have some points of similarity and some points of contrast.This essay discuss the fundamentally different views of Plato and Aristotle on the nature of soul.
Both Plato and Aristotle viewed the soul and body as two things. Whereas Plato saw the body to be material and the soul to be spiritual, Aristotle saw body and soul as equally important.
Plato explained how he regarded the nature of the soul in this Quote: “[T]he soul is in the very likeness of the divine, and immortal, and intellectual, and uniform, and indissoluble, and unchangeable “
Plato believed that this world is a replication of the real world. He believed on the existence of a world of essences where the essence of everything physical is to be found. Essentially, he believed on “duality” in the relationship between soul and body. The soul for Plato is immortal, divine, pure, unchanging and being, where the body is mortal, changing and becoming. Plato saw death as a kind of release from the prison of material world to the world of perfection, where the soul carries on without the body that decays and dies.
On the other hand, Aristotle regarded soul as the fulfilling purpose of the body. “If we are to speak of something common to every soul, it will be the first actuality of a natural body which has organs.” Aristotle.
Aristotle did not believe in the world of essences and cared more about the material world. For Aristotle the relationship between soul and body is a definitional Unity. His explanation to this relationship was that the soul needs the body like a sight needs an eye. Aristotle saw body and soul as inseparable. For Aristotle, when the body dies, the soul has nothing to support it; therefore, the soul cannot exist without body. According to Aristotle, the soul and body can be seen as exercise and capacity, form and
Both Plato and Aristotle viewed the soul and body as two things. Whereas Plato saw the body to be material and the soul to be spiritual, Aristotle saw body and soul as equally important.
Plato explained how he regarded the nature of the soul in this Quote: “[T]he soul is in the very likeness of the divine, and immortal, and intellectual, and uniform, and indissoluble, and unchangeable “
Plato believed that this world is a replication of the real world. He believed on the existence of a world of essences where the essence of everything physical is to be found. Essentially, he believed on “duality” in the relationship between soul and body. The soul for Plato is immortal, divine, pure, unchanging and being, where the body is mortal, changing and becoming. Plato saw death as a kind of release from the prison of material world to the world of perfection, where the soul carries on without the body that decays and dies.
On the other hand, Aristotle regarded soul as the fulfilling purpose of the body. “If we are to speak of something common to every soul, it will be the first actuality of a natural body which has organs.” Aristotle.
Aristotle did not believe in the world of essences and cared more about the material world. For Aristotle the relationship between soul and body is a definitional Unity. His explanation to this relationship was that the soul needs the body like a sight needs an eye. Aristotle saw body and soul as inseparable. For Aristotle, when the body dies, the soul has nothing to support it; therefore, the soul cannot exist without body. According to Aristotle, the soul and body can be seen as exercise and capacity, form and