Definition Of What Is a Soul

The amina, the pneuma, the Atman, the soul. In this present day, we identify it as the spiritual part of a human that is seen as immortal. However, the Greek philosopher Socrates did not only see the soul as such but in a concept that the soul existed before a physical body. He also believed that the soul possessed the knowledge of the highest form within it, being universal ideas, reasoning, justice and beauty, not referring to physical appearance but one’s intellect and ideas, these were considered crafts intended to produce results.

Socrates describes the soul as unseen, pure, and communing with being itself, meaning while it sustains its righteousness the soul shares its own intimate cognizance on an elevated level. Nevertheless, when mentioning father time the philosopher gave the impression that the soul is long lasting when he says, “ the philosophical soul is the escape from the enslavement [of the body]”(Plato Phaedo 78B-84B). From one’s perspective, the body is just a temporary foundation used to hold the soul in place but as time passes that foundation does not remain as strong while the soul, on the other hand, remains indestructible because it is not of the physical form.

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To further prove Socrates’ point, it is understood that knowledge is equivalent to recollection while learning is essentially an act of remembering things we knew before we were born but was forgotten. So, if knowledge is recollection then it guarantees that the soul was there before the body and is constantly being reincarnated.

Therefore, the feeling of having already experienced the present situation, better known as deja vu can be easily understood as our soul basing everything off of previous knowledge from our past lives. Through education, the soul is able to prosper in life which eventually leads mankind to recognize the immortal soul and unlocking the idea that one can die happy.

However, where would the soul reside if the body is nothing but something slowly decaying? Rather than the body, which is based on the physical world, appearance, perception, and opinions, it is always in the state of change and is less durable than the soul. The soul exists in the realm of Gods and the universe. It is over that thin line that separates perception from reason and form from appearance, it is why the immortality of the soul dictates the life we live. If the soul was a part of the body it would be perishable.

On the matter of why life and death are opposites is essential because in 69E-72E Socrates puts forth his view that all contraries come into being from another one. Simply put, there will always be something to balance out different outcomes because opposites birth one another. It can also be said that life is viewed as a reality which consists of ideas, it is understood that an idea is fixed, and can not admit of its opposites, meaning death cannot be life and life cannot be death. Socrates also believed that the soul is what makes the physical body alive and when death transpires the soul is no longer occupying the body but is reincarnated.

In conclusion, the soul does not exist in the mind, emotions or action. It is not something that can be corrupted or seen. It is a way of reasoning, building universal ideas, defining justice, learning and understanding beauty. The composition of a soul is the pure knowledge that is everlasting and will continue to be reiterated in each temporary body it enters. With the ability to recognize that death is not an obstacle or something to fear but an idea fixed with reality every man and woman can die happy. As the great philosopher, Socrates said: “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.”