Plato, Souls, and Motions

[摘要] Plato's late works contain an unexpectedly consistent treatment of the physics and metaphysics of souls. In the course of showing this, I argue that: (1) the middle period dialogues Phaedo and Republic assume, but do not mention, a Form of Soul; (2) the Timaeus contains a physical theory according to which all changes of every kind are forms of spatial motion; (3) Plato's view of souls as self-movers is identifiable in more of his late dialogues than is usually recognized (namely, in the Statesman as well as in the Phaedrus, Timaeus, and Laws ); (9) in the definition of souls as self-movers, ;;motion;; should be read as ;;spatial motion;; rather than ;;change;; in general, and (5) neither the Phaedrus nor the Timaeus contains the claim that human souls are immortal, while both dialogues contain a concept of ;;soul-stuff;;; a material from which individual souls are manufactured.

[发布机构] Rice University

[效力级别] Religion