Aristotle s On The Soul - 975 Words

Mark A. Elvy Professor Ryan Shea PHL 103-009 22 February 2017 On the Soul by Aristotle Analysis 1. Classification a. Aristotle’s On the Soul is a treatise. 2. Summary a. Aristotle discusses the nature of the soul of not only humans but all living things, and as to why they are considered living. The question surrounding the work is what makes the soul? To answer this Aristotle concludes that the soul is natural and entelecheia or being-at-work-staying-itself. 3. Structure a. Overview of the soul i. Defining the soul is the most difficult to define. (402a) 1. There is a variety of methods are used to define the soul. a. Thinking causes us to bring up questions about what we know about the soul and prevents us from creating logical†¦show more content†¦the soul could not be a body, since it is not the body that is an underlying thing, but rather the body has being as an underlying thing and material [for something else].† (412a10) d. â€Å"So, everything that lives and has a soul at all necessarily has the nutritive soul from birth and up to death...† (434a 20) 3. Argument a. â€Å"†¦harmony is some ratio or putting together of things that have been mixed or joined and the soul cannot be either of these.† (407b 30) i. Argument: Some people define the soul to be a harmony or as a blending of contraries, but that’s not what the soul is. ii. Analysis: Aristotle argues that the soul isn’t harmony rather that there are several souls that make up the body that work in harmony. b. â€Å"the soul could not be a body, since it is not the body that is in an underlying thing, but rather the body has being as an underlying thing and material [for something else].† (412a10) i. Argument: The soul is not a body. ii. Analysis: Aristotle is arguing that the soul cannot be a body because the soul does not have self-nourishing abilities only natural bodies do. The soul is instead everlasting so it has the ability of being-at-work-staying-itself. 4. Solutions a. After finding everything the soul isn’t, AristotleShow MoreRelatedAristotle s Philosophy Of The Mind And Soul1176 Words   |  5 PagesKolb Ancient Philosophy 18 Nov 2014 To understand Aristotle’s philosophy of the mind and soul, one must begin with his concepts of change, epistemology, and nature. 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