How did Aristotle and Plato differ on the soul?

While Aristotle and Plato both embraced the idea of multiple souls, they diverged significantly on how the soul relates to the physical body. Aristotle viewed the soul as the hylomorphic form of a living organism, meaning the lower functions perish with the body, whereas Plato believed the soul was entirely independent of the physical body and capable of transmigration.

What we know

• Aristotle and Plato both shared the view of multiple souls arranged in a hierarchical order. [5]
• Aristotle conceived of the soul as the hylomorphic form of a viable organism, where nutritive and perceptive souls perish upon death alongside the body, a doctrine also connected to his broader physical theories. [4, 5]
• For Plato, the soul was not dependent on the physical body, and he believed in metempsychosis, the migration of the soul to a new body. [5]
• Aristotle included an immortal and perpetual intellective part of the mind alongside souls that perish with the organism. [5] · medium confidence

Where to go next

• how it workedWhat is hylomorphism in ancient philosophy?
• compared withHow does Plato's view of the soul compare to Descartes' dualism?
• a case in pointWhat is metempsychosis in ancient Greek thought?
• the bigger pictureAncient Greek philosophy of mind and matter
• whenWho were the pre-Socratic philosophers influencing Plato and Aristotle?
• an unexpected connectionHow did Heraclitus influence later thinkers like Plato and Aristotle?Although Heraclitus is famous for his doctrine of constant change and the unity of opposites, his foundational texts exerted a wide influence on subsequent Western philosophers, including both Plato and Aristotle.

Sources

• [1]Heraclitus (Wikidata Q41155) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Heraclitus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Doxa · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Hylomorphism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Mind–body dualism · CC BY-SA 4.0