Opponents to Aristotle’s thoughts on human nature

The #optimism found in Aristotle’s view of human nature has been rarely shared by other philosophers. While #aristotle (384-422 BC) regarded humans as rational captains of their destiny, most thinkers in history have considered humans as deficient creatures driven by instincts and social pressure. Aristotle’s predecessor and teacher #plato (429-347 BC) gave his views on human nature in his books titled “The Republic” and “Phaedo.” In “The Republic,” Plato theorises about the division of the human soul in three parts (reason, emotions, and instincts). The same three parts appear in Aristotle’s writings. It’s clear that he had taken over Plato’s theory almost verbatim. However, there are large differences between Aristotle’s and Plato’s views on human nature. Plato had sustained the theory that the human #soul is immortal and that it preexists birth. The soul of each person, said Plato, preexists in a mythical realm of pure abstractions, which Plato called “forms.” It joins the body at the time of birth, and returns to the world of forms at the time of #death . After Plato’s death in 347 BC, Aristotle continued to adhere to Plato’s teachings for a while; later, around 345 BC, he began to develop his own #philosophy , sustaining that the soul appears at birth and will cease to exist when the body dies. Aristotle’s and Plato’s opposing views on the soul bear large practical consequences. In the field of education for instance, it plays a major role whether you endorse one theory or the other. For Plato, education and learning consist of remembering. It means that your soul will remember little by little what it knew already before joining your body at birth. Thus, Plato considers #education as a ritual to help students remember innate ideas. In contrast, Aristotle views education and learning as a pure process of self-development. Every person must first decide if he wants to learn, what he wants to learn and what for. Without motivation, there will be little progress in learning, and without goals, there will be little practical application. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/opponents-to-aristotles-thoughts-on-human-nature/