Plato Human Soul Reflection Paper

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For Plato, the human soul is divided into three parts which have to function together in harmony. Reason, spirit, and appetite are together the soul. When an individual is unable to control one of these parts, chaos follows. In fact, Plato describes the soul as a charioteer pulled by two horses, where the charioteer is the reason and knows what he wants, but he needs the two horses to accomplish it. One horse is the spirit, which can be easily directed because it responds well. However, the other horse is the appetite, which is strong, and hard to control. For instance, the appetites are the human desires for pleasure and satisfaction, both mental and physical, and it takes discipline and determination to keep them contained. It is extremely important for a human being to …show more content…

He defines soul as Entelechy, meaning that all things develop according to natural design, and because of that, they do not just happen. However, human beings are complex creatures, and they may fail in their journey to fill their ultimate purpose, which is following their own Entelechy in becoming their true selves. His vision saw three types of souls. The lowest is the nutritive soul, which survives by absorbing matter from another thing. Then, there is a second one, which is the sensitive soul, which is the level of sensations and perceptions. Lastly, there is the rational soul, which includes the first two, and is additionally able to analyze and making decisions. The third and last level is also the highest one, the one capable of intelligence and responsible for the function of the human being. When I asked to a family member from Italy what she believed the soul to be, she replied that it is that spiritual part of ourselves which makes us closer to God, and it guides us into distinguishing good from

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