
11 Jan Plato. So the soul is divided into three parts
In this divided Platonic world, man is ever trying to reach some balance. For the most part he is drawn to the sensible world and is, thus, changeable, impulsive, imperfect himself. The transition from the world of the senses to that of reason is the path of philosophy, a path demanding struggle and appropriate education.
In the Phaedo , dedicated to Socrates’ last hours, Plato seems to adopt the Pythagorean and Orphic doctrine of reincarnation. Philosophy is defined as a “study of death” (67e). Once released from its body, the soul is relieved of a terrible burden and can devote itself from that moment on to seeing the Forms unhindered.
In the Republic Plato puts a new distinction forward. What is more important than the opposition of body and soul is the opposition between the parts of the human soul. The soul is a complex unity with different parts and different impulses. Its three parts –“appetite”, “spirit”, and immortal “reason”– are in constant strife. The proper life and the achievement of eudaimonia depends on the parts of the soul being in harmony, which is only possible when reason rules over the lower parts of the soul.
The just man has prevailed over his desires, has tempered his passions and has thus cleared the road for the immortal part of his soul to communicate with the Forms. In this toilsome journey he will seek the help of an enlightened teacher, of a school of philosophy, of an organised republic. Yet he will also draw strength from an unexpected inner ally: eros, the most powerful and most complex of all human desires. Erotic attraction begins as an irrational passion, yet can be transformed into a kind of divine madness, impelling man to unite with the Forms.
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Source: http://n1.intelibility.com/ime/lyceum/?p=lemma&id=825&lang=2