2) Discuss Plato’s account, in the texts included in the Course Reader, of the ‘soul’ and his conception of how its ‘parts’ are best related.
Plato begins his argument about the tripartite soul by discussing with us the “Principle of Conflict’. He suggests that it is possible for a person to desire one thing yet act another way. An example I could use here is the idea of a gambling addict refusing to gamble. This he suggests is grounds for us to think that the soul is divided into more than one part. Plato suggests that there is more than one set of drives within us and that we are fighting an inner conflict where we are fighting urges, desire things and also feel shame for actions. Plato draws for us a parallel between a good city and the three parts of the soul. He says that a good city has three classes and that the people of the town are suited to a particular class. This acts as a strong parallel which allows the reader to become engaged in his arguments.
The three parts of the soul Plato suggests we have is firstly Appetites; Appetites are the irrational part of our soul and Plato describes them as “the part with which it lusts, hungers, thirsts and gets excited about other appetites”. Appetites are our desires and they desire money and possession, pleasures and comforts and satisfaction amongst others. This part it could be suggested controls our desires and instincts.
The second part of the soul is Reason. Plato describes the rational part of the soul as “that which forbids in such cases comes into play…. as a result of rational calculation”. The rational wants truth, understanding and ...