Plato's View of the Immortal, Immaterial Soul

Dualism: Body and Soul Are Separate

Plato was a dualist, which means he believed that human beings are made of two completely different substances:

• The body – physical, material, visible, mortal, temporary
• The soul – immaterial, invisible, immortal, eternal

These are not the same thing. They are separate entities. The body is made of physical matter. It can be touched, seen, and weighed. It changes constantly—it grows, ages, gets sick, and eventually dies and decays.

The soul, by contrast, is immaterial. It has no physical substance. You can't see it, touch it, or measure it. But it's the real you—it's where your consciousness, your thoughts, your personality, and your true self exist.

For Plato, you are not your body. You are your soul. The body is just a temporary vessel that houses the soul during this life.

The Soul Is Immortal and Eternal

One of Plato's most important beliefs is that the soul is immortal—it cannot die. The word "immortal" means it cannot be destroyed. No matter what happens to the body, the soul continues to exist.

But Plato goes even further. He believed the soul is also eternal, which means it has always existed and always will exist. The soul didn't come into being when you were born, and it won't cease to exist when you die.

Why Plato Believed the Soul Is Immortal

Plato offered several arguments to prove the soul's immortality:

1. The Argument from Recollection (Innate Knowledge)

Plato noticed that we seem to know things we've never been taught in this life. We must have known the Forms before we were born. Our soul must have existed in the realm of Forms. When we learn in this life, we're actually remembering what our soul already knew.

2. The Affinity Argument

The soul is invisible, unchanging in its essence, and simple (not made of parts). Therefore, the soul belongs to the realm of eternal, indestructible things. Since the soul shares properties with eternal, divine things, it must itself be eternal and indestructible.

3. The Argument from Simplicity

Things that are made of parts can be destroyed by being broken apart. But the soul is simple—it has no parts. You can't break it apart because there's nothing to break. If the soul has no parts, it cannot be destroyed. Therefore, it's immortal.

4. The Argument from the Form of Life

The soul is what gives life to the body. Life is the very essence of the soul. But if life is essential to the soul, the soul cannot have the opposite property—death. Therefore, the soul is immortal—it cannot die.

The Tripartite Soul: Three Parts Working Together

Plato believed the soul has three parts:

1. Reason (Logistikon)

This is the rational, thinking part of the soul. It's located in the head. Reason seeks truth, wisdom, and knowledge. In a healthy soul, reason should rule the other two parts.

2. Spirit (Thymoeides)

This is the emotional, passionate part of the soul. It's located in the chest region. Spirit is the source of emotions like anger, courage, and honor. In a healthy soul, spirit should be the ally of reason.

3. Appetite (Epithymetikon)

This is the desiring part of the soul. It's located in the stomach/lower body. Appetite wants physical pleasures: food, drink, sex, comfort, money. In a healthy soul, appetite should be controlled by reason and spirit.

The Body as a Prison

Plato saw the body as a kind of prison for the soul. The body constantly demands attention: it gets hungry, thirsty, tired, sick. It craves pleasure. All of these bodily demands pull the soul away from contemplating the Forms. For Plato, the philosopher's goal is to separate the soul from the body as much as possible during life—to ignore bodily desires and focus entirely on reason and the pursuit of wisdom.

Reincarnation: The Cycle of Rebirth

Plato believed in reincarnation—the idea that the soul is repeatedly reborn into different bodies. After death, the soul is judged based on how it lived. If it lived a just, philosophical life focused on wisdom and virtue, it may escape reincarnation and return permanently to the realm of Forms. But most souls get reincarnated into a new body. This cycle continues until the soul finally purifies itself and achieves permanent liberation.