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Essay: Aristotle’s Conception of Soul: A Philosophical Perspective

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Paste your essay in here…Fabian Sanchez

Dr. Edelman

PHIL 3318

07 March. 2018

Aristotle’s Conception of Soul

Many philosophers throughout history have theorized the soul and if it truly exists.  Two of the most influential philosophers known were Plato and Aristotle.  These philosophers both supported the belief in a soul for all living organisms. Even though Aristotle studied under Plato they both perceived the soul a little different. Plato’s perception was more out of this world; Aristotle would look at nature, mainly in biology, for most of his answers. Aristotle believed that the soul and the body were conjoined as one and could not exist without each other Like Plato; Aristotle has different perceptions about the soul that he believes to be true. Aristotle views the soul as an inductive grasp of the universal through sense perception of substances and attributes, and that the soul is evident through observation. Characteristics that are of fundamental importance of the soul are that the soul is the first reality of a body having life potentially in it, the digestive and reproduction system are the most primitive and widely distributed power of the soul, and the soul originates movement.

Aristotle had a conception about the nature of the soul; it states the characteristics as a substance that equals the essence of all living things. By defining the soul as a substance Aristotle recognizes the body as a form of matter and the soul that can produce by the process of life. Aristotle describes a living organism as inseparable ”complex” from the soul and body. As a result of the soul being a major source of essence Aristotle is able to determine three main roles of the soul. He makes his account with his theory of the four causes explaining that the soul is “ the movement” the “end” and “ the essence” of the “ whole body”. This means that the physical body is just the material cause of the organism. When referring to the “whole body” he is talking mainly about the functions of the body, but the purpose and tells of its actions. The souls position to the body is equivalent to the form to matter; a substance that can only be defined as a composition of form and matter

The body is matter, and for it to be able to function, it is known that it requires a soul, as the soul brings life to the body. Aristotle states that it is obvious that the soul is the first sense (On the Soul 2.1). Without having a soul, the body would not be able to possess knowledge and would try to live off instinct but would not know how to satisfy hunger or take a bath because of the lack of knowledge. The body wouldn’t be able to function properly. The soul is to the body as is a sailor to a ship (On the Soul 2.1). Without the sailor, the ship will not be able to direct itself to its destination and will not be able to fulfill its purpose.  

The digestive and reproductive system represents the body having life since it is an important power to the soul. Aristotle goes more in depth saying that the natural act of reproduction is the goal that everything with a soul strives for (On the Soul 2.4). Since immortality is nonexistent for the body, reproduction is a method to keep a similar form of the being before hand. Reproduction thus emulates immortality. The only issue with reproduction is if someone is infertile, does that say anything about his or her soul? The digestive system produces warmth; therefore, the soul produces warmth, and shows the importance of the soul.

Aristotle claims the soul is the source of movement. He divides movement into three different factors (On the Soul 2.10). Movement gives the soul a sense of knowledge because your soul does not choose to go a certain way just because. There would be a reason behind why it chose to go in the direction or path it did. The same understanding of movement and the soul would also be applied internally. As we explore Aristotle’s thought on the soul we must introduce his categories, he explains the soul as a substance only available in a specific type of nature found only in living things. This characteristic is dire in rejecting the presence of a nonliving and artificial substance also by verifying the soul as a whole not as an individual. Since the soul is a product of the body and can only inhabit natural living things, such as plants, animals, etc. He then ends the assumption of the soul existing after we die. After he denies the views of the soul he also denies the theories of afterlife and the underworld.  Knowing this information is key to understanding Aristotle’s conception, you must already know that other philosophers already stated this argument. Aristotle also deciphers a main trait of the soul from his beginning paragraph. He states that when observing different souls, you don’t see individuals but simply observing the behavior pattern of a species.  He believes the traits are passes down threw the soul, which relates with the intention of regeneration. This originates from Aristotle’s belief that everything and everyone in the world is “observable” through the observation of the actions of species overtime may produce a sound argument.

The soul is a topic that is difficult to grasp and give an explanation for the reason of the essence of the soul. Important characteristics of the soul include that the soul is the first reality of a body that could potentially have life inside, that digestion and reproduction are fundamental powers to the soul, and movement is originated from the soul.

Works Cited

Aristotle. "The Internet Classics Archive | On the Soul by Aristotle." The Internet Classics Archive | On the Soul by Aristotle. Trans. J. A. Smith. MIT, n.d. Web. 07 march. 2018.

 

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