PSY 110 : Understanding the Self
According to Plato, the appetitive part of the soul is the one that is accountable for the
desires in people. It is accountable for the effortless cravings required to stay alive like hunger,
thirst, and for pointless cravings like desire to over feed. The desires for essential things should
be limited by other sections of the soul, while illegitimate desires ought to be limited entirely by
other elements of soul.
The rational soul on the other hand is the thinking element in every human being, which
decided what is factual and merely obvious, judges what is factual and what is untrue, and
intelligently makes sensible decisions. Finally, the spirited soul produces the desires that love
victory and honor. In the just soul, the spirit acts as an implementer of the rational soul, making
sure that the rules of reason are adhered to. Emotions like indignation and anger are the impact
of the disappointment of the spirit. Someone might respond to the claim that the soul comprises
of three parts.
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Give examples of rational soul, spirited soul, and appetitive soul.
If we had to pick some body part to symbolize what each of those elements is, Plato says
that the rational part of the soul is like the body's head, the spirited part is like the hot
blood in the heart, and the appetitive part would be best represented by the belly and
genitals. An example of appetitive soul is the pleasures of food, sex, and those closely akin to
them. Our appetites for pleasure, security, comfort, satisfaction; sex, food, safety and, most
notably Plato believed, money.