Explain Plato and Aristotle's Theories of the Soul

Plato and Aristotle both believe in tripartite souls. These are souls, which have three parts. Plato believed the soul had a reasoning part, and emotive part and a desiring part. He also believed each of these parts had a virtue, or arête. The virtue for reason was knowledge, the virtue for emotion was courage, and the virtue for desire was self-control. With each of these virtues, we can overcome the wanting …

…part, and humans have a rational part, as well as the previous two. We use the different parts of the soul when we make decisions. So, for example, the vegetive part of the soul desires food, and the sensitive part wants a muffin. The rational part, however, knows that fruit is best for the body. By having each part of the soul in balance, we are able to make good choices, and live healthy lives.