- Plato
- Aristotle
- John Calvin
- John Hick
Aristotle and Plato were Greek philosophers who influenced much of Western philosophy. They both had very different ideas on the soul and how it relates to the body. Plato was a dualist, and Aristotle was a monist. This is very important when it comes to life after death, as it can determine whether or not they believed in an afterlife.
Plato and Dualism
Plato believed in dualism. This means that the body and soul are separate, so if the body dies the soul could continue to an afterlife. The soul and the body have different desires, which means the body could distract the soul. Also the mind and soul are separate, Plato explained this using an analogy:
The soul is the driver of a chariot. It directs the two horses pulling the chariot; the body and the mind. They pull in different directions but the soul tries to keep them together and in harmony.
Plato had two arguments for proving the souls existence:
- Argument from Opposites: Everything in life appears to have an opposite, e.g light has dark, hot and cold, and, for Plato, life and death. Death cannot be nothing as then life wouldn't have an opposite, the soul must be able to experience death and so must exist. This would support reincarnation as there is an endless cycle of opposites, life and death continue. Plato himself thought that tyrants were reincarnated as wolves and drunks as donkeys!
- Argument from Knowledge: Learning to Plato is simply remembering what the soul already knew from it's time in the Land of the Forms. His example was the Form of Equals, we can't physically see equals but we recognise what it means.
There are, however, problems with these arguments:
- Peter Geach rejected the idea that the soul can know the forms as we need to bodies senses to "see" them, in other words our senses require a body to function and we experience things through these senses.
- Learning isn't remembering as learning is an active process in which new knowledge is acquired.
- The opposites assumption can be challenged.
- The Theory of the Forms is debatable. (Look back to AS here!)
To Plato the soul was simple yet complex. Whilst this sounds complicated it isn't, as by simple he means that it cannot be broken down, it is one whole. However it can have different aspects within the whole. Plato defined these aspects as:
- Reason
- Spirit
- Desire
Because these aspects conflict they must exist according to Plato. Anthony Kenny explained this using an analogy:
A child is having a tantrum. The spirit and desire are not being controlled by reason so the spirit is not in harmony.
It was very important for Plato that the spirit remained in harmony as otherwise a person may not obtain knowledge of the Forms. This leads onto the idea that you should do good things because they are good, not for any other reasons such as money or fame, as then the soul is not in harmony and knowledge of the Forms cannot be gained.
Aristotle and Monism
Aristotle believed in monism. This is the idea that the soul and the body are inseparable so when one dies so does the other. The soul can't possibly survive death as it is unable to separate from the body so dies with it. BUT Aristotle then confuses everybody by adding that perhaps intellect could be separated and live on to be eternal. This seems very contradictory, and Anthony Kenny pointed out that Aristotle's views are "Inconstant".
He had a different definition for the soul;
"The principle of activity and life in the body. It also gives the body Form. It is inseparable."
So basically the soul gives the body it's shape and it's life. Looking back over Aristotle at AS might help you to understand this bit.
Aristotle argued that the soul has faculties:
Note to self, needs double checking from the book!
A child is having a tantrum. The spirit and desire are not being controlled by reason so the spirit is not in harmony.
It was very important for Plato that the spirit remained in harmony as otherwise a person may not obtain knowledge of the Forms. This leads onto the idea that you should do good things because they are good, not for any other reasons such as money or fame, as then the soul is not in harmony and knowledge of the Forms cannot be gained.
Aristotle and Monism
Aristotle believed in monism. This is the idea that the soul and the body are inseparable so when one dies so does the other. The soul can't possibly survive death as it is unable to separate from the body so dies with it. BUT Aristotle then confuses everybody by adding that perhaps intellect could be separated and live on to be eternal. This seems very contradictory, and Anthony Kenny pointed out that Aristotle's views are "Inconstant".
He had a different definition for the soul;
"The principle of activity and life in the body. It also gives the body Form. It is inseparable."
So basically the soul gives the body it's shape and it's life. Looking back over Aristotle at AS might help you to understand this bit.
Aristotle argued that the soul has faculties:
- Nutrition
- Desire
- Perception
- Locomotion
- Intellect
Not all living things have all of them, there is a hierarchy, For example plants would have Nutrition but animals would have this and Locomotion. For humans it is our intellect which distinguishes us.We have a rational soul whilst animals have an irrational soul.
Living creatures with higher faculties also have lower ones too.
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| Plato and Aristotle |
Note to self, needs double checking from the book!
