Plato's Anthropology and Ontology: Soul, Body, and Ideas

Plato's Anthropology

For Plato, the soul (psyche) is the principle of life in the body, an element opposite to embodiment. The soul is immortal and belongs to the intelligible world, while the body is mortal and belongs to the sensible world. The body attracts desires, and one can liberate themselves from these bonds through philosophy.

Drawing on Orphic and Pythagorean influences, Plato defends the soul's immortality and its transmigration from one body to another. In the dialogue Phaedrus, he explains the nature of the soul using the famous myth of the winged chariot. A charioteer drives a carriage with two horses: one is good and beautiful, the other is not. The less noble horse is attracted to the material world and destabilizes the carriage, causing souls to fall to earth and merge with a body, creating a mortal man.

Later, in The Republic, Plato explains that the soul is composed of three parts or forces, each with different functions and located in specific areas of the body:

• The rational part: This distinguishes us from animals and is the highest element, resembling the divine and being immortal. It is located in the brain, and its mission is to guide the other two parts of the soul. Its virtues are wisdom and prudence.
• The irascible part: This resides in the chest and is tied to morals, being a source of noble passions such as courage. Its virtue is fortitude.
• The concupiscible part: This is concerned with controlling base trends or desires. It originates low passions. Its virtue, temperance, should be exercised against the excesses of the rational soul.

When each part correctly exerts its function, harmony occurs within the individual, reflecting social harmony.

Plato's Ontology: Theory of Ideas

The theory of ideas distinguishes between two levels of reality, a concept known as ontological dualism:

1. The intelligible world: This is the highest level of reality, also called the world of ideas. These are abstract realities that are eternal, perfect, immutable, and accessible only to intelligence. It is a transcendent world, beyond material things perceived through the senses. The ideas are organized hierarchically, with the supreme good (the sun in the myth of the cave) at the top.
2. The sensible world: This is the level of sensible reality, also called the visible or physical world. It is the world of objects we perceive through our senses. It is a world of material things that are apparent and potentially misleading. It has less "reality" than the world of Ideas.

Despite being different, there is a relationship between the sensible and intelligible worlds: the former tries to imitate the latter, constituting its deep structure. The goal of philosophical knowledge is to understand the ideas and the relationships established between them. The ideas are the essences of things.