Comparing Plato’s and Siddhartha’s Perspectives on the Soul
Viane Villanueva
FSP 161-H2: Morality, God, and Free Will
November 2, 2017
Comparing Plato’s and Siddhartha’s Perspectives on the Soul
The soul is defined as the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life. According to this definition, the soul is the single cause through which living things are alive. Therefore, if a body does not have a soul then it ceases to exist and is dead. There is a lot of conversation on whether or not the soul remains after the body it was attached to has died. For those who believe that the soul exists after death, there are also many varying ideas on the topic of reincarnation of the soul and what happens to the soul after the body has died. There are many different perspectives on how one should care for the soul in order to ensure security for the soul in the afterlife. Plato’s theory of the human soul and the character Siddhartha’s view of the “Self” in Herman Hesse’s novel Siddhartha each have their own views on the soul and the topics regarding the soul, such as care for it, reincarnation, and what occurs after the death of the body to which a soul is attached. As a strong follower of Socrates, Plato bases his ideas of Socrates’s life and beliefs. Plato’s idea of the soul comes from Socrates’s Argument from Opposites and Theory of Forms which he writes about in Phaedo. Siddhartha’s ideas of the soul stems strongly from Hinduism and Buddhism. Throughout Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha’s view of the Self changes. In the beginning of the novel, Siddhartha wants to distance himself from the Self, but by the end of the novel he has come to terms with the Self and has achieved a state of oneness. Through his journey in discovering the Self, Siddhartha is able to solidify his beliefs about the soul. Plato and Siddhartha’s perspectives on the soul are reflected in the ways they treat their bodies and their lives.
Plato’s theory of the human soul reflects the main idea that the soul is more valuable than the body, therefore, it must be cared for during the present life so that it is not punished in the afterlife. Socrates states that “the gods are our guardians and that men are one of their possessions.” This implies that as possessions, humans must take care of their bodies, which in turn also means taking care of the soul because both are connected in human life, because our bodies are not ours to damage. In order to care for the soul, one must distance themselves from worldly desires. These temptations include sex, food, drink, fancy attire and other desires associated with the body. The soul must be completely freed from the pleasures of the body. The best way to achieve this is to live a simple, non-materialistic life. According to Plato’s theory on the soul, philosophers concerned with the well-being of their souls, use reason to dictate how they should live. This is because they know that sentiments lead the mind astray and let the body be overcome by desire. Plato’s theory is firmly rooted in the idea of keeping the soul in good health, if this does not occur then life is not worth living.
TALK ABOUT HOW THE BODY IS SUBSERVIENT
In regards to death, Plato’s theory suggests that there is a separation of the body and the soul at death. Socrates is accepting of death because he believes that he will be in the “company of good men” because he has lived a good life and in the afterlife there is a “much better future for the good than for the wicked.” This is why philosophers should be welcoming of death because it allows for even greater separation of the body and the soul. Death allows the soul to be liberated from the body. Socrates does stress, however, that death must come naturally and not through deliberate means, such as suicide. When a person dies cannot be determined by said person. Once again, this causes damage to the body that humans are not in possession of and as stated before, it is a human’s duty to preserve the well-being of their body and soul so that the soul lives well in the afterlife.
TALK ABOUT HOW THE BODY DETRIORATES
Different souls experience different fates depending on what occurs during their bodily lives. Plato’s theory suggests that in the afterlife a platonic heaven exists, where souls who were taken care of while they were still attached to a body can remain. He states that if a soul is completely free from bodily associations during life, then in the afterlife it can “truly spend the rest of time with the gods.” However, souls who have given in to bodily desires “to the point where nothing seems to exist for it but the physical,” such as sexual pleasure, hunger, and thirst, then this soul remains on the earth haunting graveyards. These souls belong to people who acted badly in their lifetimes and are being punished as consequence for their actions. Therefore, the future of a soul who has departed from the body after death depends on the detachment of the soul from material and earthly objects that corrupt the soul and keep it from reaching the platonic heaven that Plato describes.
Relating to souls in the afterlife is the idea of reincarnation of the souls who remain on the earth, incapable of achieving a state that is worthy of experiencing the platonic heaven. Plato states that Socrates believes that souls that cannot be in the presence of the divine are reincarnated into other bodies. These souls grow with these new bodies and continue in this cycle of reincarnation because of their inability to escape their fixations on human desires. Souls are not necessarily bound to only human souls. They are placed into bodies that fit their previous lifestyle, therefore, souls can be placed into bodies of animals. Socrates gives the example that souls who were attached to bodies that led gluttonous, alcoholic lives are likely to be reincarnated into a donkey’s body. This exhibits the idea of karma where the actions of a person in one lifetime dictates their fate in a future lifetime. There are consequences to certain behaviors and actions, which is why it is wise for people to lead good and just lives. This ensures the best possible future for the soul.
Plato’s Theory of Recollection stems from Socrates’s argument for the existence of the soul prior to birth. In his theory, Plato believes that the soul is immortal and moves from one body to another after spending time in the afterlife. This stems from Socrates’s reasoning that the living comes from the dead, therefore, the soul must exist before birth if it is reborn with another body once again. If living were not the opposite of dying, then humanity would cease to exist because living things would not be made from bodies that have died. Bodies that have died would not be replaced by new bodies. The soul is undying because it brings life to the body as stated in Merriam-Webster’s definition of the word “soul.” Therefore, life and the soul have an intimate relationship. If the soul is associated with life, then it cannot be associated with the opposite of life which is death, thus, explaining the immortality of the soul.
Similar to Plato’s idea of the soul is the character Siddhartha’s idea of the Atman, or the Self, in Herman Hesse’s novel Siddhartha. Siddhartha has varying views of the Self as the novel progresses. He begins by completely rejecting the self, but later comes to realize that in order to achieve true enlightenment he must become one with the Self and fully accept it. Siddhartha's journey begins when he decides to follow the Samanas in order to live a life of asceticism, where one abstains from bodily needs in order to focus on a more spiritual lifestyle. Deprivation from worldly pleasures allowed one to be completely passionate about the spiritual journey to finding enlightenment. Therefore, Siddhartha pursued this lifestyle of complete self-denial in order to break away from the routine teachings of the Brahmins. He felt that even though he had been taught every piece of wisdom the Brahmins had to teach, “his intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still.” Feeling confined and spiritually unfulfilled by the conformity of people to follow teachings without actually being able to attain the Atman consciously. Siddhartha’s biggest concern is completely ridding himself of desires and passions so that he can think purely, without worrying about being distracted by the body.
Upon realizing that self denial is not the way in which he will achieve enlightenment, Siddhartha decides that he must find the Self through his own experiences, without following set guidelines and traditions unlike the Brahmins and Samanas. Instead of suppressing the Self, one must comes to terms with it. Throughout this journey of self discovery, Siddhartha meets Kamala who introduces him to a life that is completely opposite of that which he practiced with the Samanas. He drinks, gambles, and has sex. He partakes in these activities for a while until realizing that he feels empty and hates how his life has turned out. Siddhartha has a dream where he finds Kamala’s songbird dead and tossed in the street. He believes that this is symbolic of the goodness dissipating from his soul due to his behavior after Kamala becomes a part of his life. Therefore, he leaves and goes to a river he had previously passed. This is where he debates suicide, but realizes that this would get him nowhere and is extremely selfish of him to think. He realizes that his worries are petty and feels Om in the river. He feels a sense of oneness and unity. Siddhartha feels a unity of both the physical and spiritual world, as well as the nonexistence of time. By the end of the novel, he has achieved enlightenment and has recognized that enlightenment is who someone is as a person and knowledge is gained completely through one’s own capabilities, not through other people’s beliefs and ideas. In a sense, Siddhartha is a reincarnation of the Buddha in that he resembles the Buddha physically and has similar ideas to Buddha, despite the fact that he denied following the Buddha previously.
Siddhartha comes to believe that the soul does not motivate people to achieve their goals, but rather it is through one’s own abilities that they come to accomplish their goals. In his journey of trying to find Nirvana, or a state of ideal happiness, Siddhartha realizes that a person possesses everything they need to achieve Nirvana; Nirvana is found in the human mind.
suggests this same idea in that Plato believes that the soul is more valuable than the body and death is the separation of the body and the souil.