The psychology of the complex soul in Plato: A comparative study between the Republic and the Phaedrus

• Grant number: 24/07677-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - History of Philosophy
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Rossi Nunes Lopes
• Grantee: Pedro Mauricio Garcia Dotto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Plato's psychology, i.e., his examination of the human soul (psyche) as a cognitive, affective, and conative agent, as well as the foundation of our moral character, has been the subject of a growing number of studies in recent decades. However, discussions about the soul in Plato, particularly his theory of the complex or tripartite soul-a psychic structure divided into interdependent, precariously integrated, and functionally distinct elements-tend to center almost exclusively on the Republic. As such, controversial questions (such as, for instance, whether there is some sort of communication between soul-parts, what the degree of cognition of the lower parts of the soul is, whether the personification of soul-parts is to be understood metaphorically with a view to practical-prophetic purposes or as a hypothesis with theoretical-explanatory value) end up being pursued and resolved according to the psychological model of the Republic (esp. Book IV and VIII-IX). Counter to this trend, our research aims to fill this gap by offering a comparative study between the models of the soul in the Republic and Phaedrus, according to the following axes of analysis: (i) Ontology and terminology of the complex soul (Is the structure of the soul made up of parts, principles of action, faculties, aspects or is it divided in terms of genus/species?); (ii) Metaphysical psychology and mereology (How does the part/whole structure of the tripartite soul come together? How many elements are there in the soul? What is the relationship between the elements that make up the soul and the soul as a whole?); (iii) Moral psychology and ethics (What is the structure of the good life, considering the tripartite model of the soul? What is the nature of virtue for the complex soul and how should it be achieved?) Our hypothesis is that a comparative study between the models of the soul in these dialogues, revolved around the reflexive activity of self-persuasion, can clarify controversial questions about Platonic psychology, as well as deepen our understanding of the tripartite soul in Plato: its organization, agency, motivation, and virtue.