- Aristotle believed that every single living thing had a soul. He described it as its “principle of life”.
- He argued that there are three types of soul:
- Vegetative: the soul of plants which is only reproductive
- Sensitive: the soul of animals which is reproductive, sensory, and capable of movement
- Rational: the rational soul of humans which is reproductive, sensory, capable of movement and rational
- He did not separate the body from the soul. Rather he believed the soul is separate and integral to the body.
- This means that the soul cannot be immortal because it (presumably) decays with the body. If the soul is the final goal of the body, then this goal can only be achieved on Earth.
- Aristotle’s philosophy does not develop the idea of an afterlife. It is rooted in the sensory, materialistic, world offering little suggestion of spiritual existence