Question

List two differences between Plato's notion of the soul and Aristotle's?​

Answer 1

Plato believed the senses could fool a person, aristotle stated that the senses were needed in order to properly determine reality. i don’t know the other difference i’m sorry

Answer 2

Plato believes that the body and soul are separate, making him a dualist.

In contrast, Aristotle believes that the body and soul cannot be conceived as separate entities, making him a materialist.


Plato believes that the soul is completely distinct from the physical world. Plato created the cave analogy with the aim to explain his theory of dualism. In his analogy he discussed how there are two distinct realms, the realm of the forms and the physical realm.
Plato suggested that the physical realm is just a reflection of the realm of the forms, and this is where the body lives. His theory states that the soul is trapped in this body but wishes to gain knowledge in the realm of the forms. Plato believed that when the body dies, the soul goes to the realm of the forms to gain knowledge (knowledge argument). The body is in a constant state of change and therefore cannot be the source of reliable truth. In contrast, the soul is immortal and unchanging, thus making it the perfect source of truth and knowledge.


Aristotle’s views on the body and the soul differ from Plato’s due to his materialist position. Aristotle believes that the soul is the form of the body, therefore without the soul the body would simply be piles of blood, skin and bone etc. Aristotle also states that the soul is the efficient, formal and final cause of the body. He used an example of an imprint in wax to explain his beliefs on the body and soul. He stated that the imprint in the wax reflected how the body and soul cannot be separated (the imprint can’t be separated from the wax and visa versa). This means that the body is real and it cannot be without the soul, or the soul without the body.