Ethics. Disputation on the Basic Works of Aristotle: De Anima

Disputation on the Basic Works of Aristotle: De Anima
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Disputatio on the Basic Works of Aristotle: De Anima
Is Aristotle’s right to say that the soul is inseparable from its body?
Different philosophers had different beliefs about the soul and how it relates to the body, case in point, Plato and Aristotle. In this paper, I will argue in support of Aristotle’s argument. Then I will raise the objections and provide a reply to the objections. 
I answer that Aristotle was right to say that the soul is inseparable from its body. This answer will be based on two parts. First, Aristotle argues that the soul is in the body. Unlike previous philosophers, Aristotle explains that the soul is an actuality, a “formulable essence” in which we think, perceive and live. Thus, the body is the material basis in which the soul exists. This implies that the body is what holds the soul of a living thing in, regardless of the shape and form of the body. He also points out that the soul is the nature of all living bodies and it accounts for any changes in the behavior of that living body. It also accounts for the abilities that are demonstrated by any living body. Thus, the soul is in the body and the two cannot be separated because a body without a soul is just a form. In fact, Aristotle explains that the soul is not capable of existing independently as a separate substance. He posits that “…the soul cannot be without a body, while it cannot be a body.” This is to mean that the soul and the body are two different entities that cannot exist separately because one is dependent on the other.[BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Richard McKeon. The Basic Works of Aristotle (New York: The Modern Library, 2001) 494.] [Ibid.] [Ibid.]
Second, Aristotle is able to match different living bodies with their souls. He refers to them as psychic powers. For plants, Aristotle reveals that plants, as living bodies, have nutritive and appetitive souls. These souls have given the plants the ability to grow and reproduce while being nutritious at the same time. For animals, they have the nutritive, appetitive, locomotive, and sensory souls. Thus in addition to the abilities that plants have, animals have a ...