tripartite soul

Plato

According to Plato, the body is merely a holding cell for the soul here on Earth. The soul exists prior to life on Earth, and it will continue to exist following the death of the body. Prior to life, the soul has all knowledge, but at the moment of birth, this knowledge is concealed. Plato's theory of the soul states that the soul embarks on a journey the moment it is formed. When the soul is created, it enters a preexistent state until the human is born and it can enter the body. The soul remains there until the body dies, at which point it enters yet another waiting period. When another human is born, it enters the new body and remains on Earth until the body perishes yet again. This cycle of life, death, and rebirth persists until the soul is perfected. (Bobbs Merrill, pg 78-79)

Plato believes that the soul is composed of three aspects: the rational, the spirited, and the desire. The rational soul, Plato believes, is the part that should rule a human. The spirited soul constantly seeks approval, but is also the human drive to action. Lastly, the desire soul contains human emotions and the sex drive. Plato believes that the majority of mankind is ruled by the desire soul, which is why most humans are, therefore, unable to make good, moral choices. The only aspect of the soul that contains reason and can make good moral decisions is the rational soul. Plato's philosophy had a massive impact on western thought which is probably the reason why he is so well known in the western world. Another reason why Plato is so well known and respected is because of his method of enquiry. Plato's method of enquiry was totally different from the past ancient greek philosophers, the method used was a more rigorous and rational method of enquiry which philosophers alike used today. Plato introduced analysis, effective argument and a rational approach which laid the foundations of philosophical thought for all the philosophers who came after him. This is why the British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead famously said that the history of philosophy is "˜but a series of footnotes to Plato'

Plato wasn't pre occupied by the big questions in life which related to cosmology, his main concern was with moral philosophy i.e. how to live our lives. His later readings were more directed to other branches of philosophy such as political philosophy, education, metaphysics and epistemology. Plato's was actually the earliest philosopher whose writings have survived so it gives philosophers a look not just into early philosophy but what ancient Greece was like. (Nicholas, White Pp. 220)

It's also important to look at the world Plato was living in. At the time Greece wasn't a united country, but was a collection of city-states that were united by language and culture as well as a defence powerful external enemies such as Persia. During his life Plato witnessed the decline and fall of this Greek federation. Basically it was ...