Life After Death: The Soul (Aristotle) Mr. Dezilva January 29th, 2014.

What is Dualism? A fundamental distinction between mind and body Belief in two distinct principles, that are often opposites Philosophically speaking: the view that the world consists of two fundamentally distinct entities (such as mind and matter) Psychologically speaking: the view that the mind and body function separately, without interchange Epistemically speaking: the view that we acquire knowledge through both the mind and body. What is Dualism?

The view that the physical (matter) universe is all that exists The belief that no part of a person is non-physical; therefore, there is no soul. The conscious cannot be separated from the brain because nothing exists except matter Consciousness is no more than electro-chemical events within the brain; it is wonderful aspect of evolution. What is Materialism?

What is Monism? Everything is of one nature In reference to the body and the mind, Monist would say that they are one in the same thing. The doctrine that only one supreme being exist, for example. Monism can be applied to various things, for our application, it will be applied to the mind, body, and soul. What is Monism?

Why are these important? Philosophers are able to classify themselves as either a Monist, a Dualist, or a Materialist in regards to the Mind/Soul & Body. Plato for example, would be a dualist in this regard because he felt that the body and the soul were separate entities. Dawkins, as we will see, is a materialist, simply because he only believes in a physical possibility. Why are these important?

Aristotle (Context) 384 to 322 BC Student of Plato Emphasized the necessity of the physical world in discovering key knowledge Wrote a treatise (thesis, essay) on the soul called De Anima (On The Soul) Aristotle (Context)

Aristotle on the Soul Felt that the body and the soul were inseparable Example of the Wax tablet The soul is substance  means essence or real thing The physical body is in a continual state of change, but the substance remains the same in terms of continuing the identity This substance is the Soul Aristotle on the Soul

The soul included the matter and the structure of the body Differed from Plato: The soul could be explained in purely natural terms. “The soul is in some sense the principle of animal life” There are different souls (plants have a “nutritive soul”, animals have a “perceptive soul” Because humans have the ability to reason, they have a higher degree of a soul Axe example (read in class) Aristotle continued