Aristotle And Aristotle's Concept Of The Soul

According to Aristotle, living things are made up of matter, form and a “complex of both” (414b 16-20). In general, matter represents potential and consists of the component parts of an object. Not until the parts take the form of a recognizable, functional object can they be considered as such. The matter or potential of a living thing is its component parts, i.e. the stem, leaves and roots of a plant; or the limbs and organs of a human being or animal. The parts must take form in order to achieve actuality, which is the role of the soul in living things. The soul, therefore, is what moves the potential of matter into the actuality of life. A living thing is the complex of both matter and form; and the soul represents the “…actuality of a certain kind of body…” (414a 18-19), i.e. a living body.

In Aristotle’s view, the soul is what makes the living thing experience the external world of sensation and

Plato broke the soul into three parts: appetitive, spirit and reason. Each is responsible for the various types of behavior such as desires for the appetitive, honor and courage for the spirit and logic or rational thought for reason. Each of Plato’s three-part soul must not infringe on the other parts if an individual is to maintain internal harmony. Happiness then is achieved when reason maintains control, and the spirit and appetitive parts remain subordinate to it (Plato Complete Works, 443d-e). Where Plato puts emphasis on the importance of reason balancing the soul, Aristotle emphasizes the importance of the primary function of the human being. Though there are stark differences in their conceptions of the soul, they seem to agree on the path to a good life: training. Plato proposed training as a means of balancing the soul and keeping the three parts in their right places (SOURCE); and Aristotle proposed building habits of virtuous actions in order to create a virtuous