Aristotle’s theory of the soul

People frequently ask me what is the point of studying philosophy? My answer is always short. A few words suffice. The point of studying philosophy is learning to see. Once you get familiar with key #philosophical doctrines, such as those put forward by Aristotle, you will understand the world better and make better decisions. A good example of “learning to see” is the theory of the soul. The concept of the soul (“anima” in Latin) has been a central theme in #philosophy and theology throughout history. When people ask about the soul, they want to address key aspects of what it means to be human and what differentiates humans from dogs, cats, monkeys, and other animals. Humans have a soul. Animals and plants do not, or at least, not fully. Aristotle did not invent the concept of the soul. The concept was already existing in older cultures such as those of ancient Egyptians and Hinduism. In those cultures, people believed that the #soul was the animating energy or force behind life, also including human life. For the ancient Egyptians and Hindus, the soul involved ideas of immortality, reincarnation, and the soul’s journey after death. Ancient Egyptians practised mummification of corpses to safeguard their soul in the afterlife. The #mummy was meant to give the soul a physical place of residence, so to speak. In ancient Greece, a century before Aristotle, #pythagoras put forward that the soul was immortal and could migrate from one body to another. In this regard, Pythagoras was imitating the philosophy of Hinduism. #aristotle devoted a full book to the concept of the soul. The Latin title of this work is “De Anima,” which means “About the Soul). Aristotle wrote this book when he was still a student of Plato’s or shortly after leaving Plato’s school. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/aristotles-theory-of-the-soul/