On the Soul
Aristotle's treatise classifying souls by their operations.
Last updated
On the Soul (Greek: Περὶ Ψυχῆς, Peri Psychēs; Latin: De Anima) is a major treatise written by Aristotle c. It classifies organisms' souls by their operations, arguing that plants have capacities for nourishment and reproduction, lower animals add sense-perception and self-motion, and humans possess all these plus intellect. The work is a foundational text in Aristotle's biology and psychology.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Aristotle
- Original language
- Greek
- Field
- Philosophy
- Biology
- Psychology
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The treatise is divided into three books. Book I introduces the theme and surveys predecessors' views. Book II defines the soul as the first actuality of a natural, organized body, and discusses nutritive and sensitive souls. Book III covers the rational soul, including the possible and agent intellect, and argues that the agent intellect is immaterial and immortal.
Reader's Guide
On the Soul is significant for establishing a systematic framework for understanding life and consciousness. Aristotle's claim that the soul is the form of the body, not a separate substance, influenced later philosophical and theological debates.
His division of the soul into nutritive, sensitive, and rational faculties shaped medieval and Renaissance thought. The treatise's discussion of the agent intellect, particularly its immortality, sparked centuries of interpretation, notably by Thomas Aquinas and Averroes. The work remains central to studies of ancient psychology and philosophy of mind.
Did You Know?
- The treatise is near-universally abbreviated 'DA' for 'De anima'.
- Aristotle argues that some parts of the soul—the intellect—can exist without the body, but most cannot.
- The treatise is divided into three books with five, twelve, and thirteen chapters respectively.
More in Classical Philosophy & Rhetoric
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: On the Soul (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced