The Tripartite of the Soul that Socrates Discussed in...

In this paper I will be discussing the tripartite (three parts) of the soul that Socrates discussed in chapter 6 of Plato’s Republic, and I will compare and contrast them to that of Aristotle and Anthony Kenny. In Plato’s Republic the three parts of the soul consist of the rational, spirited and, desire. In this dialogue the three parts of the soul go hand and hand with three parts of a just society. The desire or appetite of the soul is what controls our want for the pleasures of life. An example of some of these pleasures are the want for food, money, sex, and any other material good. This part of the soul has the ability to control your rational which then leads an individual to act in a way that they may not normally. In the community†¦show more content†¦Socrates then discusses what it would take for an individual and community to achieve self-discipline or self-mastery. To achieve self-discipline one needs to have complete control between all three parts of the soul. When someone has achieved the sense of self-discipline the rational part of the soul has taken control of both the spirited and appetite. â€Å"There are better and worse elements in persons mind, and when the part which is naturally better is in control of the worse part, then we use the phrase self-mastery.† (Plato, 431a) When you’re spirited and desire parts of the soul do the job of t he rational, you may make decisions that are not morally right. As in a community you would want the guardians to make the decisions rather than the farmers and fisherman because they lack the knowledge to make the decisions that make the community prosper. To Plato the soul is immortal and lives on after death and the body decays. Aristotle has a different view on the make-up of the soul. In Aristotle discussion On the Soul he talks about the kinds of souls possessed by different living things such as plants, animals and, beings. Aristotle then goes on describing the substance that makes up the soul, the first is matter which is not this in its own right, the second is form which makes matter this and the third form is the compound of matter and form. Every living body is a substance and the soul is the actuality of the body. The soulShow MoreRelatedIs Plato s The Republic? Essay1134 Words   |  5 Pagesalso have similar influences on people. One such text is Plato’s The Republic. As said by Professor Jon Dorbolo of Oregon State University, â€Å"The Republic is considered by many to be Plato s masterwork. It certainly is one of the most important texts of political theory.† While reading this text, several different messages begin to reveal themselves throughout the text. Some of the most impo rtant ideas that can be found within Plato’s Republic, include, humans are inherently good, people should performRead MoreA Critical Analysis Of Citizen Life In Platos The Republic1552 Words   |  7 Pagesof citizen life in Plato’s The Republic. The similarities between Socrates’ definition of the Philosopher King of the aristocracy and the tyrant are that a single ruler governs over the republic. In some ways, the empowerment of a single individual provides a catalyst for an aristocratic engagement of the nobleman to support this form of governance. In these seemingly polarized governing regimes, the comparable need for absolute control becomes evident in the divisions of Socrates’ social classes intoRead MorePlato, Aristotle, and Moses Essay2261 Words   |  10 Pagesand Beautiful. Such people not only liberate themselves; they fill those they meet with a free mind. Philo of Alexandria Athens, via Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and Jerusalem through the Hebrew Scriptures, refer to two general and fundamental ways of life: the life of free inquiry on the one hand, the life of obedience to God’s law on the other. As discussed in class, the fact that most do not read the Hebrew Scriptures as a politically philosophical text, they are overlooking some fundamental