return to list of latest ideas

Single Idea 24056

[catalogued under 17. Mind and Body / A. Mind-Body Dualism / 2. Interactionism]

Full Idea

That the soul is not separable from the body - or that certain parts of it are not, if it naturally has parts - is quite clear.

Gist of Idea

The soul (or parts of it) is not separable from the body

Source

Aristotle (De Anima [c.329 BCE], 413a04)

A Reaction

This doesn't make him a physicalist. I've seen him described in modern terms as a functionalist, but that makes the mind abstract and the body concrete. Perhaps he is an 'Integrationist' (as Descartes might be in his 'pilot' passage).

Book Reference

Aristotle: 'De Anima (on the psuche)', ed/tr. Reeve, C.D.C. [Hackett 2017], p.22

Related Idea

Idea 3616 The soul must unite with the body to have appetites and sensations [Descartes]