Plato's tripartite soul: reason, spirit and appetite
In Republic Book IV, Plato divides the soul into three parts. It is one of the oldest three-part models of the mind, and it only partly matches thinking, feeling and willing.
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The three parts
| Part | Greek | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Reason | logistikon | Calculates and reasons; the part that loves learning |
| Spirit | thumoeides | Anger, indignation and the love of honor; in a healthy soul, the ally of reason |
| Appetite | epithumetikon | Desires for food, drink, sex and money |
Plato argues for the division in Republic 436a–441c (overview). His key step is that one thing cannot do opposite things in the same respect at the same time, so when a thirsty person refuses to drink, something in them is pulling against the thirst.
The story of Leontius
Plato's best-known example (439e–440a) is Leontius, who wanted to look at the bodies of executed criminals, was disgusted with himself for wanting to, and finally gave in while angrily rebuking his own eyes. The anger, Plato says, shows a spirited part siding with reason against appetite.
Does it match thinking, feeling and willing?
| Plato | Closest ICA faculty | How close |
|---|---|---|
| Reason | Thinking | A clean match |
| Spirit | Willing | Partial: spirit is about honor and anger more than action |
| Appetite | Feeling | Weak: emotions in Plato are spread across the parts |
A common mistake lists Plato's parts as "logos, pathos and thymos". Logos, pathos and ethos are Aristotle's three means of persuasion in rhetoric, not parts of the mind.
The scheme the ICA actually descends from is the 18th-century trilogy of mind and Steiner's thinking, feeling and willing.
Common questions
What are the three parts of the soul according to Plato?
Reason (logistikon), spirit (thumoeides) and appetite (epithumetikon), set out in Republic Book IV.
Is Plato's spirit the same as the will?
Not exactly. Plato's spirit is the part that feels anger, shame and the love of honor and, in a healthy soul, sides with reason. Some modern writers loosely call it will.
Why does Thinking have two dimensions?
Because thinking works in two modes: seeing wholes and analyzing parts. Behavioral science draws the same line between intuitive and deliberate thinking, and Jung's analytical psychology between intuition and thinking. It gives Thinking two routes to a high score, so the result page shows your faculty scores and your four dimension scores side by side.
Keep reading
The trilogy of mind: cognition, affection and conation
The trilogy of mind divides mental life into cognition, affection and conation: knowing, feeling and striving. Where it came from and how the ICA uses it.
Thinking, feeling, willing: the three faculties
Thinking, feeling and willing: where the three-part division of the mind comes from, from Plato and Kant to Steiner, and how the ICA measures each faculty.
The 24 personality profiles
All 24 ICA personality profiles, from The Systems Architect to The Energetic Catalyst: what each means, its natural contribution and its growth area.
See your own profile
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