Plato’s Concept of the Soul and its Relationship with the Body

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Plato’s Concept of the Soul and its Relationship with the Body

Plato’s theory of the body and soul originated from his earlier

theories and dialogs, ‘the analogy of the cave’ and ‘the theory of

forms’. Plato believed that the soul is immortal. That the soul

existed before it came to the physical body, and it is still there

when the body dies. This is a dualistic interpretation of the

mind/body problem.

Plato linked the soul to a charioteer in charge of two horses, the

mind and the body, which are pulling in completely opposite

directions. The soul wanting to go back to the world of the forms and

the body wanting to enjoy the five sense plus pleasure. In Plato’s

words - the body is the source of endless trouble…it fills us full of

love and lust and fear and fancies of all kinds…and takes us away from

all power of thinking at all. Therefore emphasised that the

philosophers must live simply and avoid sensual pleasure so as to

focus the mind on the soul and gain its knowledge.

The analogy of the cave relates to the...

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