Plato was one of the first in history to create a theory about personality types. Plato was born around 428 BCE in Athens, Greece. He was Socrates' student so he adopted many of his thoughts of philosophy. Plato assumed that the soul of a human overrules its body according to the professors of humanities and philosophy at Rice University. He found this out through a process of elimination. He thought that there were three different options: the body, soul, or a combination of the body and soul. The body can't control itself, so the body isn't the most important important part. So, this eliminates the body and the combination of the two. In the end, the soul becomes the esence of humans. Plato argued in his dialogue The Republic that the soul is independent and has three different parts that help make up a person's personality. They are emotion, reason and appetite. Plato believed that reason should be the most powerful. It keeps the powers of appetite and emotion away. Reason helps create self-control. Appetite builds desires. While, emotion is how we react to our self-evaluation and others evaluations of ourselves. It also builds up morals. With that, it encourages our want of being recognized and respected. It basically bonds a person with everyone else around them. I agree with a majority of Plato's theory, however I believe he didn't think about how the brain of person controls most of its actions. The brain also has reason, appetite and emotion. Perhaps, Plato was referencing the brain, yet at that time there might not be proof that there is brain in the human body. Maybe, if this was known Plato might have chosen the combination of the body and the soul which are both equally important. This was only one part of Plato's theory. In my next post, I'll explain the other part of his theory. If you have any questions on this part, please comment below. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as I can.
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| Plato compares these three parts of the soul with types of people. |
