The Soul

The soul is considered an innate, intrinsic part of the living being. It is alluded to in all religions, philosophies, and mythologies. Reasoning, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception, thinking, etc., are all taken as the emotional and mental abilities of a soul. Many philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato have tried to explain the meaning of the soul through various theories. Every religion has a different view of the soul. Some say that it is made of various elements like physical and spiritual, while some consider it a sign of God. Let us see what it means.

Definition of Soul

In theology, the soul refers to that part of an individual that relates to divinity and survives after the body’s death. In terms of religion and philosophy, the soul is the intangible aspect of a human being that bestows them with individuality and humanity. 

• Aristotle’s Theory of Soul

Aristotle’s soul theory states that a soul is a principle that accounts for change, a particular kind of nature. Its refuge is inside living bodies, like plants, animals, and human beings.

Aristotle has used matter/form distinction to answer the question “What is the soul?”. He noted three substances, namely matter (potentiality), form (actuality), and the compound of matter and form.

Plants and animals are living compounds, and his theory states that they have souls. Their souls make them living beings.

In Aristotle’s view, relation between body and the soul expresses the more general connection between form as well as matter. Thus, the ensouled living body is a specific in-formed matter.

• Plato’s Theory of Soul

Plato was the first philosopher to put forth that soul was the source of both the mind and life. Plato believed that the soul bears moral properties and makes the body lively, helping it have self-motion.  

He also noted three parts of the soul. The platonic soul is divided according to its location in different body regions. The three divisions are:

1. The logos, located in the head, relates  to reason and regulates other parts.
2. The thymus, located near the chest region, is connected to the spirit.
3. The eros, situated in the stomach, is connected to one’s desires.

• The Republic by Plato

In this book, Socrates, Plato’s teacher, and his interlocutors stated that the soul couldn’t be at the same time, both in one state and its opposite. Thus the conclusion is that the soul has two aspects, namely “reason” and “appetite”, while Plato added the other aspect, namely “spirit”.

• Reason 

Plato initially identified the soul dominated by this part with the Athenian temperament. The thinking part of the soul loves the truth and seeks to learn it. It can also be called the logical part. He says that reason is the smallest part of the brain. 

• Spirit 

Thracians, Scythians, and the people of “northern regions” dominate the soul associated with this part — the spirited part of the soul that gets angry or flares into a temper. He also termed this as “high spirit”.

• Appetite

It is the part that gives the soul a feeling of longing for something.

Types of Souls

There are seven types of soul. They are as follows

• Priest

These souls make people’s lives more meaningful and better. They are motivators and help others succeed.

• Artisans

These souls are creative and inventive. They usually make for good artists and philosophers.

• Sage

These soul types are attention lovers. They are good at sharing their wisdom. They have the highest mental ability in philosophy, wisdom, beauty, need, and harmony.

• Server

These are kind souls. They care for others by putting their own needs aside. They always try to solve others’ problems.

• Scholar

These souls are hungry for knowledge. They learn through observations and experiments. 

• King

These are concentrated and self-righteous souls. They are born leaders and communicators.

• Warrior

These souls are courageous and determined. They make good athletes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, many people tried to understand the soul from an earlier time. According to Aristotle, the soul is only present in living beings. Soul provides living beings with the ability to be motile. At the same time, Plato explained the soul as that which bears moral properties and endows a person with the ability to logically and rationally think. As recapitulation, there are seven types of souls: the priest, artisan, server, scholar, sage, king, and warrior. The types mostly decide the character a person will have in the future.