Faculties of the soul
In today's world, Faculties of the soul has become a topic of increasing interest to many people. Whether for its historical relevance, its impact on society, or its influence on contemporary culture, Faculties of the soul has captured the attention of experts and fans alike. As we explore the different facets of Faculties of the soul, we encounter a great diversity of opinions, perspectives and emotions that lead us to reflect on its importance and meaning in our lives. In this article, we will delve into the fascinating world of Faculties of the soul to discover its multiple dimensions and better understand its impact on our reality.
The faculties of the soul are the individual characteristics attributed to a soul. There have been different attempts to define them over the centuries.
Plato, Aristotle and their followers
Plato defined the faculties of the soul in terms of a three-fold division: the intellect (noûs), the nobler affections (thumós), and the appetites or passions (epithumetikón) Aristotle also made a three-fold division of natural faculties, into vegetative, appetitive and rational elements, though he later distinguished further divisions in the rational faculty, such as the faculty of judgement and that of cleverness (deinotes).
Islamic philosophers continued his three-fold division; but later Scholastic philosophers defined five groups of faculties:
- dunámeis, the "vegetative" faculty (threptikón), concerned with the maintenance and development of organic life
- the appetite (oretikón), or the tendency to any good
- the faculty of sense perception (aisthetikón)
- the "locomotive" faculty (kinetikón), which presides over the various bodily movements
- reason (dianoetikón)
Calvin
John Calvin opposed the scholastic philosophers, favoring a two-fold division of the soul, consisting of intellect and of will.
Faculty psychology
The secularisation of the Age of Enlightenment produced a faculty psychology of different but inherent mental powers such as intelligence or memory, distinct (as in Aristotelianism) from the acquired habits.
See also
- 'Aql (rational faculty in Islamic philosophy)
- Jerry Fodor
- Phrenology
- Psychology
- Rational animal
- Thomism
- Trichotomy
References
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Aristotle, Ethics (1976) p. 88-90
- ^ Aristotle, p. 218-222
- ^ S. S. Hawi, Islamic Naturalism and Mysticism (1974) p. 151
- ^ Faculties of the Soul
- ^ John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (2008) p. 104
- ^ R. Gregory, The Oxford Companion to the Mind (1987) p. 253-4
External links
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