Plato and Socrates -- Human Soul
There are a number of philosophical tenets that have been the subject of intense scrutiny since humans coalesced into formal societies. Who are we as a species? Where do we fit in with the universe? What is morality? Do the ends justify the means? Moreover, most of all, why are we here and are we free to act as individuals toward greater good? Free will, for instance, or the idea of that human's make choices unconstrained, has been contested even as a concept. The paradigm that humans may make rational choices and that life is not predetermined from "divine" beings allows one to look at a number of philosophical constructs that are on a continuum between the idea that determinism is false and that of hard determinism, or the idea that determinism is true and free will completely impossible forms the crux of a set of principles that are debated even today -- the dual nature of humanity. This duality is often expressed in the Ancient world as an ethical paradigm of cause and effect -- or how the human individual interacts with the world and with each other. Both Socrates and Plato believed that there were layers of the division of the human soul, moving from the concrete to the abstract; and dealing with morality, ethics, interpersonal behavior, enlightenment, and the manner in which the individual relates to society and to themselves in order to form a more positive projection into the future.
For centuries, the dual nature of humans in relation to ethics has puzzled philosophers. It is a philosophical construct that tries to explain how humans organize their moral and ethical beliefs within a given time period and within a given culture. However, ethics is typically more focused on understanding the way certain ideas are presented and acted upon in individual societies than making broad pronouncements of right and wrong. However, when one looks at the history of any philosophical subject, it is important to note that differing concepts of philosophy often arise "out of" that very historical and cultural fabric of the time -- and then evolve so that they become more acceptable to future generations rather than contemporaneous ones (MacIntye). For western philosophy, the basis for the study of ethics arose in Ancient Greece with the philosophies of Socrates (morality = happiness), Plato (virtue = the absence of ignorance), and Aristotle, (humans strive for happiness and all action is part of that goal oriented behavior) (Roochnick).
In many ways, the idea of duality within the individual comes down to the overall study of metaphysics from the Platonian perspective. Further, metaphysics seems to surround the larger questions -- the so-called "big" philosophical debates: "Is there a God?" "Why are we here?" "What is the purpose of the universe?" Metaphysics wants to discover what the universe is really made of, what is matter, what is substance, and what is the basis of consciousness. From a biological view, one of the most complex organs in the universe, the human brain, continues to be a scientific mystery. However, simply looking at the biological functioning of the body and brain does not lead us to the idea of consciousness, thought, individualism, and even the soul. Metaphysics looks at three parts of these grand questions: ontology -- the study of being and existence; natural theology -- the study of god or gods, the nature of religion, the existence of the Divine, creation, etc.; and universal science -- the logic of noncontradiction or being in terms of being (causality, substance, species, and elements" Metaphysically, then, the debate is between the dual view of everything in nature as a result of Mind or Nature -- or cosmic consciousness or natural biological and chemical processes (Wilkins).
Philosophically then, if we were able to discuss the issues surrounding natural selection, religion, and evolution with Plato, he would likely point out that the issue is complex on many areas. Plato would likely speak about the differences between reality and belief, and the manner in which the physical is transcendent to enlightenment. More than likely, Plato would bring up his famous "Allegory of the Cave" to instruct us. This...
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