Aristotle
Greek philosopher who wrote a treatise on the soul
Greek philosopher who studied at Plato's Academy and later directed his own school, the Lyceum. His treatise On the Soul treats psychology as the study of all living things, including perception and mind.
Why this person matters
On the Soul is a surviving early systematic treatment of living things, perception and mind. Aristotle studied in Plato's Academy until Plato died in 347 BC, and the treatise works through earlier views of the soul. The surviving texts read like lecture notes for his school.
Main contributions
The soul as the form of a living body
In On the Soul he called the soul the first actuality of a natural organic body. On this view psychology covers plants and animals as well as humans, because all living things have some kind of soul.
A hierarchy of faculties
He ranked soul-functions as nutrition, perception and mind. Plants have only nutrition, animals add perception, and humans also have mind, the rational faculty.
Perception and the cause of movement
He described perception as the reception of a sensible form by a suitably capable sense faculty, with the sense organ being altered. He also concluded that desire is the faculty that initiates movement, with practical reason working alongside it.
Context and limits
About 31 of perhaps 200 treatises survive, and they read like lecture notes and drafts, not polished publications. His account uses ancient terms (soul, form, faculty) and was not tested by experiment as modern psychology is. The sources read here do not assess his political writings, including his views on women and slavery, and this profile does not either.
In your introductory course
History and research methods.Appears in history chapters as an early account of perception and mind. Students meet his idea that the study of the soul covers all living things.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 1.2. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 367 BCE
He joined Plato's Academy in Athens, where he stayed until Plato's death in 347 BC.
- 343 BCE
At Philip's request he went to Pella to tutor the young Alexander; the tutoring is thought to have lasted two or three years.
- 335 BCE
He returned to Athens and founded his school, the Lyceum (one Stanford entry dates his directorship from 335, another from 334).
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Aristotle's PsychologyReference work. Reference article inspected.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, AristotleReference work. Reference article inspected.