Aristotle: On the Soul
(
De Anima)
Translated by J. A. Smith
A treatise on the soul. In the first book, Aristotle examines the theories of his predecessors. In the second and third books he develops his own theory. The soul is defined as the form or essence of a living being, and all living beings have souls.
There is a nested hierarchy:
1.Plants grow, feed and reproduce, so have a nutritive soul.
2. Animals have a nutritive soul plus a sensitive soul (because they can move and perceive things. Sense-perception also involves the capacity for pain and pleasure.)
3. Human beings have nutritive, sensitive and rational souls (because a human being is defined as a rational animal).
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