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Plato ~ The Eternal Soul
Plato's ideas of the soul of man are explored in his work Phaedrus. In this work, he describes the soul as a charioteer driving two dissimilar and unruly winged horses, one steed driving in one direction towards truth and virtue, the other driving the soul towards corruption, and away from truth. Thus he describes the soul of man in his struggle to steer and control his chariot and guide it toward truth, heaven and God.
Typically cast as white for virtuous, and black for its counterpart, these steeds are the fate of man's soul, and as he fails to control them, he is cast down toward the Earth, and away from heaven, whereupon his soul becomes entrapped in a mortal being, or as Plato puts it himself, "there, finding a home, she, [the soul], receives an earthly frame". Thus the soul is damned, and must live out an existence trapped in a mortal bodily form, and live upon the Earth in the world of appearance. It is not clear whether Plato adhered to these beliefs and ideas throughout his life, as like many of us, he may have changed his viewpoint and opinions in later times. Yet this does not deter from the detail of these radical ideas and beliefs, that appear to draw some comparison to eastern religions and theologies.
Of the nature of the soul, though her true form be ever a theme of large and more than mortal discourse, let me speak briefly, and in a figure. And let the figure be composite -- a pair of winged horses and a charioteer. Now the winged horses and the charioteers of the gods are all of them noble and of noble descent, but those of other races are mixed; the human charioteer drives his in a pair; and one of them is noble and of noble breed, and the other is ignoble and of ignoble breed; and the driving of them of necessity gives a great deal of trouble to him.
I will endeavour to explain to you in what way the mortal differs from the immortal creature. The soul in her totality has the care of inanimate being everywhere, and traverses the whole heaven in divers forms appearing -- when perfect and fully winged she soars upward, and orders the whole world; whereas the imperfect soul, losing her wings and drooping in her flight at last settles on the solid ground -- there, finding a home, she receives an earthly frame which appears to be self-moved, but is really moved by her power; and this composition of soul and body is called a living and mortal creature. For immortal no such union can be reasonably believed to be; although fancy, not having seen nor surely known the nature of God, may imagine an immortal creature having both a body and also a soul which are united throughout all time. Let that, however, be as God wills, and be spoken of acceptably to him. And now let us ask the reason why the soul loses her wings!
Such is the life of the gods; but of other souls, that which follows God best and is likest to him lifts the head of the charioteer into the outer world, and is carried round in the revolution, troubled indeed by the steeds, and with difficulty beholding true being; while another only rises and falls, and sees, and again fails to see by reason of the unruliness of the steeds. The rest of the souls are also longing after the upper world and they all follow, but not being strong enough they are carried round below the surface, plunging, treading on one another, each striving to be first; and there is confusion and perspiration and the extremity of effort; and many of them are lamed or have their wings broken through the ill-driving of the charioteers; and all of them after a fruitless toil, not having attained to the mysteries of true being, go away, and feed upon opinion.
The reason why the souls exhibit this exceeding eagerness to behold the plain of truth is that pasturage is found there, which is suited to the highest part of the soul; and the wing on which the soul soars is nourished with this. And there is a law of Destiny, that the soul which attains any vision of truth in company with a god is preserved from harm until the next period, and if attaining always is always unharmed. But when she is unable to follow, and fails to behold the truth, and through some ill-hap sinks beneath the double load of forgetfulness and vice, and her wings fall from her and she drops to the ground, then the law ordains that this soul shall at her first birth pass, not into any other animal, but only into man; and the soul which has seen most of truth shall come to the birth as a philosopher, or artist, or some musical and loving nature; that which has seen truth in the second degree shall be some righteous king or warrior chief; the soul which is of the third class shall be a politician, or economist, or trader; the fourth shall be a lover of gymnastic toils, or a physician; the fifth shall lead the life of a prophet or hierophant; to the sixth the character of poet or some other imitative artist will be assigned; to the seventh the life of an artisan or husbandman; to the eighth that of a sophist or demagogue; to the ninth that of a tyrant -- all these are states of probation, in which he who does righteously improves, and he who does unrighteously, deteriorates his lot.
Ten thousand years must elapse before the soul of each one can return to the place from whence she came, for she cannot grow her wings in less; only the soul of a philosopher, guileless and true, or the soul of a lover, who is not devoid of philosophy, may acquire wings in the third of the recurring periods of a thousand years; he is distinguished from the ordinary good man who gains wings in three thousand years: -- and they who choose this life three times in succession have wings given them, and go away at the end of three thousand years.
But the others (The philosopher alone is not subject to judgment (krisis), for he has never lost the vision of truth.) receive judgment when they have completed their first life, and after the judgment they go, some of them to the houses of correction which are under the earth, and are punished; others to some place in heaven whither they are lightly borne by justice, and there they live in a manner worthy of the life which they led here when in the form of men. And at the end of the first thousand years the good souls and also the evil souls both come to draw lots and choose their second life, and they may take any which they please. The soul of a man may pass into the life of a beast, or from the beast return again into the man. But the soul which has never seen the truth will not pass into the human form.
For a man must have intelligence of universals, and be able to proceed from the many particulars of sense to one conception of reason; -- this is the recollection of those things which our soul once saw while following God -- when regardless of that which we now call being she raised her head up towards the true being. And therefore the mind of the philosopher alone has wings; and this is just, for he is always, according to the measure of his abilities, clinging in recollection to those things in which God abides, and in beholding which He is what He is. And he who employs aright these memories is ever being initiated into perfect mysteries and alone becomes truly perfect. But, as he forgets earthly interests and is rapt in the divine, the vulgar deem him mad, and rebuke him; they do not see that he is inspired.
Thus far I have been speaking of the fourth and last kind of madness, which is imputed to him who, when he sees the beauty of earth, is transported with the recollection of the true beauty; he would like to fly away, but he cannot; he is like a bird fluttering and looking upward and careless of the world below; and he is therefore thought to be mad. And I have shown this of all inspirations to be the noblest and highest and the offspring of the highest to him who has or shares in it, and that he who loves the beautiful is called a lover because he partakes of it. For, as has been already said, every soul of man has in the way of nature beheld true being; this was the condition of her passing into the form of man.
But all souls do not easily recall the things of the other world; they may have seen them for a short time only, or they may have been unfortunate in their earthly lot, and, having had their hearts turned to unrighteousness through some corrupting influence, they may have lost the memory of the holy things which once they saw. Few only retain an adequate remembrance of them; and they, when they behold here any image of that other world, are rapt in amazement; but they are ignorant of what this rapture means, because they do not clearly perceive.
For there is no light of justice or temperance or any of the higher ideas which are precious to souls in the earthly copies of them: they are seen through a glass dimly; and there are few who, going to the images, behold in them the realities, and these only with difficulty. There was a time when with the rest of the happy band they saw beauty shining in brightness, -- we philosophers following in the train of Zeus, others in company with other gods; and then we beheld the beatific vision and were initiated into a mystery which may be truly called most blessed, celebrated by us in our state of innocence, before we had any experience of evils to come, when we were admitted to the sight of apparitions innocent and simple and calm and happy, which we beheld shining in pure light, pure ourselves and not yet enshrined in that living tomb which we carry about, now that we are imprisoned in the body, like an oyster in his shell. Let me linger over the memory of scenes which have passed away.
Here we find Plato's description and belief in the eternal soul, which also incorporates ideas on re-birth, that appear to parallel such beliefs as that of Hinduism and Buddhism. Whilst it may not be altogether coincidence, it is possible that Plato may have arrived in this belief of re-birth, from the conclusions drawn on earlier dialogues concerning virtue, and by using logical deduction only. For example, to reason for the eternal truth and inherent virtue of God that resides within the soul, then it follows that the soul itself must be immortal, [to know of this truth of God, a priori]. Thus, to reconcile the eternal soul, with that of a mortal body, susceptible to death and decay, it must follow that the soul must either attain truth, and heaven, and God, or, be re-born again into another mortal bodily form, or frame. There the soul must struggle until it can finally attain the truth of God, and free itself from it's mortal chains.
He describes the soul's transgression as forgetfulness, [of the truth of God], and vice, when he says;
"But when she is unable to follow, and fails to behold the truth, and through some ill-hap sinks beneath the double load of forgetfulness and vice, and her wings fall from her and she drops to the ground."
And even indicates a soul lost in ignorance, and reliance upon the creation of ego, that is also signified in Buddhism as suffering. And goes on to say...
"...and all of them after a fruitless toil, not having attained to the mysteries of true being, go away, and feed upon opinion."
Below, Plato reasons that the soul cannot at first remember it's true self, from the impact of birth, or even re-birth; but that the soul finally becomes aware, [through the world of appearance], of a higher existence and of truth. Therefore it is the goal to remember the other, true world, and seek virtue....
"But all souls do not easily recall the things of the other world;.... having had their hearts turned to unrighteousness through some corrupting influence, they may have lost the memory of the holy things which once they saw. Few only retain an adequate remembrance of them."
Plato also subscribes to a kind of caste system for the soul's re-birth, when he says;
"then the law ordains that this soul shall at her first birth pass, not into any other animal, but only into man; and the soul which has seen most of truth shall come to the birth as a philosopher, or artist, or some musical and loving nature..... to the eighth that of a sophist or demagogue; to the ninth that of a tyrant -- all these are states of probation, in which he who does righteously improves, and he who does unrighteously, deteriorates his lot.
This again, is similar to both Hindu and Buddhist beliefs on reincarnation, and even has inferences of the so-called, "middle path", in Buddhism. One could also see here, that the position of Sophist was not regarded with high esteem. Plato also subscribes to the belief that the soul may be re-born into a beast, but yet, that it may once again achieve promotion in later re-birth again to man, as he says...
"The soul of a man may pass into the life of a beast, or from the beast return again into the man. But the soul which has never seen the truth will not pass into the human form."
Plato believes that the eternal soul is condemned to mortal re-birth for a period of Ten thousand years, where upon it must return to God. A belief, therefore, in a reconciliation with God's love and truth, and perhaps even, in the attainment of Oneness with God? He also believes that the most virtuous of souls may achieve it's place much sooner, yet, in not less that three thousand years.
"Ten thousand years must elapse before the soul of each one can return to the place from whence she came, for she cannot grow her wings in less; only the soul of a philosopher, guileless and true, or the soul of a lover, who is not devoid of philosophy, may acquire wings in the third of the recurring periods of a thousand years.."
Plato describes here, atonement and judgment for mortal sins, both in the rewards of periods in heaven and in the punishments bestowed in hell. This is most similar to Christian beliefs, but notice that Plato does not reserve final judgment and eternal damnation on sinners, but instead, implies further mortal redemption is possible, as the good and bad come together to try their lot once more. This follows closely, Plato's ethical beliefs, and holds to his understanding; that it is only through ignorance, and lack of truth and virtue, that we sin, or act in any wrong doing. For to know what is right, correct and true is to automatically act in accordance with what is right and correct. This demonstrates Plato's idealist viewpoint, and stand on ethics and knowledge.
"...and after the judgment they go, some of them to the houses of correction which are under the earth, and are punished; others to some place in heaven whither they are lightly borne by justice, and there they live in a manner worthy of the life which they led here when in the form of men. And at the end of the first thousand years the good souls and also the evil souls both come to draw lots and choose their second life, and they may take any which they please."
And thereby the final goal is the attainment of true virtue, and the truth of God. The path to which is through recollection and pursuit of truth. As Plato indicates....
"....and be able to proceed from the many particulars of sense to one conception of reason; -- this is the recollection of those things which our soul once saw while following God -- when regardless of that which we now call being she raised her head up towards the true being... clinging in recollection to those things in which God abides, and in beholding which He is what He is."
"And he who employs aright these memories is ever being initiated into perfect mysteries and alone becomes truly perfect. But, as he forgets earthly interests and is rapt in the divine, the vulgar deem him mad, and rebuke him; they do not see that he is inspired."
"For, as has been already said, every soul of man has in the way of nature beheld true being; this was the condition of her passing into the form of man."
Plato's ideas had a profound influence on monistic religious beliefs, especially Christianity, that inspired a whole new movement of Neo-Platonism through Plotinus, St. Augustine, and later Baruch Spinoza. Even contemporary new age Christian beliefs hold to many of these ideas; including re-birth, the eternal soul, the pursuit of the true spirit ,and thus, the attainment of the truth of God.
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