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Single Idea 21265

[filed under theme 29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 1. Animism ]

Full Idea

A soul or souls have been shown to be cause of all the phenomena, and whether it is by their living presence in matter that they direct all the heavens, or by some other means, we insist that these souls are gods. So 'everything is full of gods'.

Gist of Idea

The heavens must be full of gods, controlling nature either externally or from within

Source

Plato (The Laws [c.348 BCE], 899b)

Book Ref

Plato: 'Complete Works', ed/tr. Cooper,John M. [Hackett 1997], p.1556

A Reaction

This seems to have little to do with the pagan gods on Olympus. It is also notably not monotheistic. It is somewhere between animism and panpsychism. Does he think the rivers and woods contain gods? Probably not. Just the orderly heavens.

Related Idea

Idea 12097 There are as many eternal unmovable substances as there are movements of the stars [Aristotle]

The 45 ideas from 'The Laws'

8004 In 'The Laws', to obey the law is to be obey god [Plato, by MacIntyre]
235 Virtue is the aim of all laws [Plato]
236 Sound laws achieve the happiness of those who observe them [Plato]
238 Children's games should channel their pleasures into adult activity [Plato]
239 Education in virtue produces citizens who are active but obedient [Plato]
4331 Education is channelling a child's feelings into the right course before it understands why [Plato]
4332 Virtue is a concord of reason and emotion, with pleasure and pain trained to correct ends [Plato]
240 It would be strange if the gods rewarded those who experienced the most pleasure in life [Plato]
241 We ought to follow where the argument leads us [Plato]
15447 We shouldn't always follow where the argument leads! [Lewis on Plato]
242 The best people are produced where there is no excess of wealth or poverty [Plato]
243 It is foolish to quarrel with the mind's own reasoning processes [Plato]
245 Totalitarian states destroy friendships and community spirit [Plato]
248 A serious desire for moral excellence is very rare indeed [Plato]
249 People who value beauty above virtue insult the soul by placing the body above it [Plato]
250 The best way to educate the young is not to rebuke them, but to set a good example [Plato]
251 Truth has the supreme value, for both gods and men [Plato]
253 Every crime is the result of excessive self-love [Plato]
254 Excessive laughter and tears must be avoided [Plato]
256 Virtue and great wealth are incompatible [Plato]
257 Mathematics has the widest application of any subject on the curriculum [Plato]
1402 Friendship is impossible between master and slave, even if they are made equal [Plato]
259 Justice is granting the equality which unequals deserve [Plato]
260 Control of education is the key office of state, and should go to the best citizen [Plato]
262 Men and women should qualify equally for honours on merit [Plato]
263 The only worthwhile life is one devoted to physical and moral perfection [Plato]
264 The conquest of pleasure is the noblest victory of all [Plato]
265 An action is only just if it is performed by someone with a just character and outlook [Plato]
266 Injustice is the mastery of the soul by bad feelings, even if they do not lead to harm [Plato]
269 Attempted murder is like real murder, but we should respect the luck which avoided total ruin [Plato]
21257 Self-generating motion is clearly superior to all other kinds of motion [Plato]
21258 The only possible beginning for the endless motions of reality is something self-generated [Plato]
273 Movement is transmitted through everything, and it must have started with self-generated motion [Plato]
21259 To grasp a thing we need its name, its definition, and what it really is [Plato]
21260 Soul is what is defined by 'self-generating motion' [Plato]
21261 Self-moving soul has to be the oldest thing there is [Plato]
274 Soul must be the cause of all the opposites, such as good and evil or beauty and ugliness [Plato]
21262 There must be at least two souls controlling the cosmos, one doing good, the other the opposite [Plato]
21263 If all the motions of nature reflect calculations of reason, then the best kind of soul must direct it [Plato]
21264 Mortals are incapable of being fully rational [Plato]
21265 The heavens must be full of gods, controlling nature either externally or from within [Plato]
275 Creation is not for you; you exist for the sake of creation [Plato]
276 My individuality is my soul, which carries my body around [Plato]
277 The Guardians must aim to discover the common element in the four cardinal virtues [Plato]
278 If astronomical movements are seen as necessary instead of by divine will, this leads to atheism [Plato]