Plato’s Philosophy: Soul, Body, and the World of Ideas
Plato’s Anthropology and the Nature of the Soul
Plato’s Anthropology: For the Greeks, the key problem was not the existence of the soul, but its nature: whether it is material or not, immortal or not. In contrast, modern thought primarily questions the soul’s existence, not its nature. In Greek thought, the concept of the soul is linked to two ideas: life and intellectual knowledge. The soul, therefore, would be the principle of life. For Plato, the soul is essentially the principle of intellectual knowledge.
Dualism
Plato’s dualism represents a split: our materiality and corporeality place us within the sensible world, while the soul is what truly defines us as humans, distinct from other beings.
Characteristics of the Body
The body is a prison for the soul because the body and soul are two realities heterogeneous in both their nature and origin. The body’s nature is material and belongs to the sensible world, while the soul’s nature is spiritual and belongs to the intellectual world.
The Soul in Plato’s Philosophy
The soul’s proper place is the world of ideas, and its proper act is contemplation. For Plato, it is the principle of rational knowledge. The fundamental task of the soul is purification. Purification implies that the soul is in a state of impurity that stems from the needs and demands of the body. Therefore, the soul, in its function as a principle of rational knowledge, has a controlling function over the body.
Plato’s Three Parts of the Soul
- Rational: Its main act is intellectual knowledge, and it directs and guides the other two parts.
- Irascible: It accounts for courage, strength, and will. Plato does not define its mortality or immortality.
- Appetitive: It encompasses desires and disordered tendencies, uncontrolled sensitive passions. From it come all the gross appetites that drag us toward corporeal things.
Plato’s Ontology: The Theory of Ideas
Ontology: The theory of Ideas is the central doctrine of Platonic philosophy, the axis around which all his thought articulates. This doctrine distinguishes between two worlds:
- The Sensible World: This is the material world we perceive through our senses. It is formed by things, is unstable, and is not true reality.
- The Intelligible World: This is the world of essences, ideas, or forms. Ideas are immaterial, absolute, and universal entities, independent of the physical world. They are true realities. The intelligible world of ideas is the true self, but these ideas are not corporeal realities and are therefore not only sensible but intelligible, that is, accessible through intelligence.
The Emergence of Philosophy
The word “philosophy” comes from “philo” (love) and “sophia” (wisdom), meaning “love of wisdom.” Philosophy is an attitude and a discipline formed by reflections on humanity. In the 6th century BC, society was heterogeneous and formed city-states, or poleis. They shared Greek mythology and religion, forming a cultural community but not a political one. Philosophy, as a science, occurs when one abandons myth and replaces it with rational explanation. Thus, philosophy arises when logos (reasoning) replaces myth in the task of explaining realities and their complexity. This is the transition from myth to logos.
Medieval and Modern Philosophy
Medieval Philosophy (4th-14th Centuries)
Characterized by being subordinate to theology. Religious faith became a central issue. One of the most important thinkers was St. Augustine of Hippo. Simultaneously, a philosophy and science emerged in the Arab world, whose representatives preserved their culture, translated it, and enriched it with contributions from scientists and philosophical reflections.
Modern Philosophy (17th-18th Centuries)
- Rationalism: This current considers that knowledge is born and develops through reason.
- Empiricism: This current states that knowledge arises from sensory experience.