Views of the Soul

In this paper I will be discussing the different views of the Soul held by Aristotle, Plato and Democritus. Although they may share some concepts of what the soul is they also drastically differ on what makes up the soul and the way in which it interacts with the physical body. Each philosopher made great contributions to the argument of what the soul is and where it is in relation to the body if it is connected at all.

Democritus believes that the soul and body are directly connected and that the soul is made up of atoms much like the body is but unlike the atoms of the body the atoms in the body can freely move about the body as they please and interact with the other organs of the body. He believes that the soul is different based on where it is at a given moment. Democritus was bound to regard the soul as physical material. His concept of the soul was that it was composed of one specific type of atom and he believed it was fire atoms. He admitted a distinction between it and the body, and is even said to have looked upon it as something divine. These soul atoms exercise different functions in different organs; while in the head it is used as a tool of reason, while in the heart it is a tool of anger, and the liver a tool of desire. He believed that the soul enhances the normal functions of these organs only when the soul atoms moved into them. He believed that life is maintained by the inhalation of fresh atoms to replace those lost by breathing, and when a person stopped breathing, thus cutting off the supply of fresh atoms the ultimate result is death. In this line of reasoning as the body dies the soul must also die because without the necessary supply of fresh atoms it cannot continue to exist.

The idea held by Democritus contrasts sharply with the dualist approach Plato takes in regards to the soul. Plato’s concept of the soul is referred to as dualism which means that the body and the soul are individual entities. He believes that the body is of course a physical substance while the soul is a non physical entity. He chooses not to discuss the interaction between the two and instead focuses on the moral purity of the soul. He believes that the body is associated with “evil passions and appetites” while the soul is intrinsically pure and the only way to achieve perfect immortality, that is to have the soul live on past the existence of the body is to completely separate the soul from the body thus eliminating all the evil tendencies that the body may impart onto the soul. This concept follows the Judeo-Christian belief that only the soul can enter heaven after it has left the body due to the fact that the soul is the pure part of a person. Although Plato initially holds this belief he later alters his theory by stating that the soul is not intrinsically pure but needs direction from the pure parts of the soul. The soul is conceived as an arena in which various principles struggle, such as good and evil thoughts or actions, for dominance over the entire being and whichever the soul becomes accustom to determine the path it takes after it parts from the body. If the soul is “accustomed to hate and fear” it will not depart pure from the body which means that it will not be able to enter heaven due to the fact that only pure souls are allowed there. Plato believes that if the soul does not depart the body in a pure form it is “dragged down again into the visible world” and becomes a ghost because the invisible soul is made visible because