mind, body and soul

The greek philosopher Plato provided one of the first dualist view points.

He often views things in terms of opposites (e.g. the form and it's particulars) This "dual aspect' is important to his ideas about human beings.

A KEY QUOTE- "The body is the source of endless trouble to us by reason of mere food; and is liable also to diseases which take over and impede us in the search for our true body: it fills us full of love, lust and fears,and fancies of all kinds, and endless fooler, and in fact as men say, takes us away from the power of thinking at all."

Believed the soul to be more important than the body.

The body- a part of the empirical world, subject to change. Meaning it cannot be a reliable guide of the truth. Only gain opinions through our senses

The soul- Enables us to have knowledge, the soul is temporarily united with the body.

Our bodies distract us from our real purpose (philosophical thought) ,where as our soul is immortal and undivided. It is most importantly, capable of knowledge.

Plato refers to the soul as being trapped with in the body. Their relationship is one of imprisonment.

Uses the analogy of 2 horses and a charioteer to describe the inner workings of the soul:

The charioteer is in charge of two horses- one behaves, the other doesn't.

plato explains there are three aspects of the soul:

1. The reason

2. The spirit

3. The apetite/desire

The soul works best when the reason (The charioteer) is in charge.

buttttt the horses often pull in crazy directions- Our desire leads us to things that aren't helpful.

For plato- A good person is someone who's soul is in balance with reason in charge.

The soul                              The body

unchanging                                          changes

eternal                                                   temporal

non-physical                                         physical

possesses knowledge                          Gives rise to opinions

Simple                                                     made up of parts

A key quote: "For if while in the company with the body the soul cannot have pure knowledge, one of two things seems to follow either knowledge is not to be attained at all, or, if at all, after death."

Aristole, who was a pupil of plato, differed in his ideas

• Despite being born 2000 years before modern science, he does not believe in the idea of a soul as such.

• His views around this topic are complex- often being supported by both materialists  and dualists

Aristotle rejects the substance dualism of plato- the soul isn't a different part to the body.

Arrived at this conclusion based on his nderstandings of the idea of form. Criticised plato's theory of the forms, claiming it to be unneccsary. 

the substential reality of a human being is the union of the body and soul.

each soul has only one body- there can be no transmigression or reincarnation ( something that plato believed in)

No other wordly after life- no ghosly socrates floating in hades or dwelling up in the forms

A question for christian theology- whether or not you can take this theory of the soul and combine it with the christian doctrine of the ressuraction of the body.

- this doctrine gives untity to each human being (not parts) here aristotle rejects plato's multipart soul i dont feel desire in one part of my soul or anger in another part,but instead a single soul that has multiple powers