Platos Concept of the Body and Soul Distinction Essay

Platos Concept of the Body and Soul Distinction A:Plato believed that humans could be broken down into 3 parts: the body, the mind and the soul. The body is the physical part of the body that is only concerned with the material world, and through which we are able to experience the world we live in. it wants to experience self-gratification. It is mortal, and when it dies, it is truly dead. The mind is directed towards the heavenly realm of Ideas, and is immortal. It is with our minds that we are able to understand the eternal world of the Forms. When it dies it returns to the realm of Ideas. The soul is the driving force of the body, that it is what gives us our identity. Plato likens†¦show more content†¦The body and the inclinations are mortal but transmigrate into animals, but the intellect is immortal. He believes that the intellect represents the most divine part of the soul, and so after death it leaves the inferior physical body to join the world of Ideas. B: Platos dualism was a combination of the key ideas from both Materialism and Idealism. His theory that we had both a physical body, and a soul/mind and that the soul/mind is a thinking being, complete in itself, and capable of living without the body. A strength of Platos Dualism is that it says there is more to living than just what we are always aware of, as just because the physical world seems hard, there are other ways of living. Another strength is that he doesnt deny the existence of the physical world as an idealist might, but just says that the physical world isnt as importance, that we should be seeking to understand the world of Forms. Neither does he deny the spiritual world, and says that its important, so if we can understand the world of Ideas then we can understand Good. Aristotle, Platos pupil, was one of the sources of his greatest opposition. He argues that Platos definition of the soul is wrong, that it isnt immortal, but rather it is just the life force of the body. Ergo, when the body dies, so does the soul. One of Platos claims is that the body doesntShow MoreRelatedDistinctions and Comparisons between Aristotle and Plato Essay1681 Words   |  7 Pageson certain factors of their philosophy. Many have scrutinized and compared the dissimilarities and similarities of Aristotles doctrine of categories and Platos theory of forms. The observations found are of an interesting nature. The beauty behind the writings of Plato is to not accept what is interpreted through the senses. In Platos theory of forms, Plato explained the immaterial world as the realm containing the perfect form of objects and ideas that are presented on Earth. For instanceRead MorePlatos Belief that the Human Soul is Immortal1297 Words   |  6 Pageswas born out of Plato’s triad. 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