The nature and existence of the soul plato and aristotle Flashcards
what is the philosophical problem?
-whether mind and body are one of same nature (monistic/materialist view) or whether they have two natures (dualistic view)
-what happens when person dies.
dualistic view
-two aspects to human beings a physical body and a non-physical body (psyche/self etc)
-the non-physical aspect of a person experiences eternal life after physical life
-for plato world of ideal forms separate from world of sense perception
monists/materialists
-human beings made of one substance, the physical body
-they believe in human beings made up of matter- one substance
-a persons identity is inextricably linked to their physical body so when their body dies their life ends.
-likely to reject LAD because without a physical form life can’t be supported.
Plato
-his belief about the soul is that it is immaterial, and the real self.
-its pre-existent and immortal
-we come back in our next life as something better or worse depending on how we were during our previous life, until we fulfil our potential and enter a type of heaven.
-plato was pre-monotheist religion scholar so lang like ‘heaven , hell , purgatory’ wouldn’t be in his vocab
-dualist
-contrasted flux and change of empirical world of sense experience with the perfection of the world of Forms
Aristotle
-humans are made up of two things a body (matter) and a soul or ‘psyche’ (the form)
-the soul is integral part of the body
-you can’t have one without the other (e.g can’t have cake without ingredients). Soul animates the body, by organising a potential living body into an actual living body. Aquinas took on these ideas.
-work would be described as science. applied logic and demanded that evidence should be putting forward theories.
differences between plato + Aristotle
-for plato we have separate body conjoined with a soul that has lived before and will go on to live again. its real home, is world of forms not this mundane world. (its trapped in a physical body).
-For Aristotle the self is what animates you - you’re body and soul together a living, breathing, thinking being. you live and think - that’s what makes u a human.
both of these views have been hugely influential
-platonic view seems to have dominated traditional western religion.
-aristotelian one is closer to the medical aspect, where we seek more integrated view of the person.
both seem to fit our experience of encountering death
-some people looking at a corpse, feel that the soul has gone and only a shell remains. the real person is no longer there and is utterly different from the body. they might take platonic view.
-others sense that the body expresses the person during their life, but has lost its animating principle which made it the person they knew - Aristotelian view.
how can the distinction between plato and Aristotle be illustrated
-by considering actor performing on stage
-as we watch play we engage with part the actor is playing (actions, gestures, words and everything that brings out particular character in the play)
-we may have seen the play before, performed by different actors, but each time we appreciate the distinctiveness of the performance.
-if you take an Aristotelian view, person/soul is the character that appears on stage -its all that mix of words and actions that lead you to guess the characters thoughts and to anticipate his reactions. actor on stage fully engaged in performing his part he embodies character whose lines he delivers.
platonic view has a double focus- actor
-on one hand there is the part being played, with all the words and actions; on the other there is the fact that this isn’t actually Hamlet its just an actor
-platonic approach sees the eternal soul as more like the actor Dothan eternal and therefore ongoing life quite apart from this incarnation or stage performance
Aristotelian view - actor
-sees the soul as the character that an individual displays, not some hidden actor behind that character.
-theres no hidden actor behind that character
-no hidden secret you, distinct from all that you actually think and say and do
-dont have body with its own form and performing its own actions ti which a secondary, invisible thing called a ‘soul’ is added.
-term soul describes that which shapes and gives life to the body.
platos - world of forms
-in empirical world all things decay, but for all empirical objects, Plato reasoned that they exist metaphysical counterparts that dont decay or change
-all things in world are particular instances of universal forms
-reason we can understand that all dogs are dogs despite the breed (particular instances of the form, dog)
-the forms are eternal, perfect, timeless and metaphysical
-ultimate form is form of good, because it defines all other forms
body and soul in world of forms
-physical body is part of word of senses
-mind related to that higher reality of forms
-plato argues that only composite things can be destroyed or naturally disintegrate
-while our bodies are composite our souls are non-material and simple and therefore can’t be destroyed
-once created soul permanent and can’t die
-basis of ‘dualism’
how does plato present dualism?
-presents dualism of immaterial substance: psyche (soul) and physical body
-whats psyche composed of
1.logical/thinking/reasoning part which seeks to learn the truth
2.thumos which means spirited part of psyche for example courage, righteous indignation/ anger
3.the appetitive part - appetites for sex, food, drink
-sould separate from body but animates and directs it.
de anima (Aristotle quote)
“to attain any assured knowledge about should one of most difficult things in world”
