In this paper, I will be doing a critical summary of the parts of the soul by Plato in The Republic. Plato argues that the soul has three parts. These three parts are the Spirited, the Calculating and the Desiring. The calculating part he says, is that which makes man think rationally while the desiring part is more irrational as it is guided by desires and pleasures rather than logic. The spirited part on the other hand, is that which represents an emotional reaction for what seems to be just, which rises against the desires, when the desiring part pushes an individual to react against the calculating part.
To establish his argument that the soul has parts, Plato comes up with the first premise that, the same part of an object cannot be at …show more content…
Plato then classifies hunger, thirst and general desires under one category and claims from his previous premise that not-desiring would imply doing the opposite. So, the desires are controlled by one part of the soul while the decision of thrusting away from these decisions is controlled by another part of the soul. When talking about desires, Plato takes as example thirst and makes it clear that the desire is to drink, not to drink a particular drink. In Letter to Menoeceus, Epicurus classifies desires as either natural or groundless and further classifies natural desires as necessary or natural. Those natural and necessary desires are those who make individuals happy ((https://ucsdherbst.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/epicurusepictetus12-13.pdf). In The Republic, Plato mentions that thirsting will only be of what it naturally is a desire, that is for drink alone. I think Plato wanted to make it clear that thirst is one of those natural and necessary desire which make us happy once relieved by replenishment. This happiness is related to that desiring part of the soul because, the aim of satisfying our desires is to make ourselves happy, whether the desires are good or evil. So, a thirsty individual will only desire replenishment, to alleviate that pain. In this way, Plato concludes that one part of the soul is that which guides our natural desires, and this part is the Desiring
To establish his argument that the soul has parts, Plato comes up with the first premise that, the same part of an object cannot be at …show more content…
Plato then classifies hunger, thirst and general desires under one category and claims from his previous premise that not-desiring would imply doing the opposite. So, the desires are controlled by one part of the soul while the decision of thrusting away from these decisions is controlled by another part of the soul. When talking about desires, Plato takes as example thirst and makes it clear that the desire is to drink, not to drink a particular drink. In Letter to Menoeceus, Epicurus classifies desires as either natural or groundless and further classifies natural desires as necessary or natural. Those natural and necessary desires are those who make individuals happy ((https://ucsdherbst.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/epicurusepictetus12-13.pdf). In The Republic, Plato mentions that thirsting will only be of what it naturally is a desire, that is for drink alone. I think Plato wanted to make it clear that thirst is one of those natural and necessary desire which make us happy once relieved by replenishment. This happiness is related to that desiring part of the soul because, the aim of satisfying our desires is to make ourselves happy, whether the desires are good or evil. So, a thirsty individual will only desire replenishment, to alleviate that pain. In this way, Plato concludes that one part of the soul is that which guides our natural desires, and this part is the Desiring