Full Idea
The entity which we call 'soul' is precisely that which is defined by the expression 'self-generating motion'.
Gist of Idea
Soul is what is defined by 'self-generating motion'
Source
Plato (The Laws [c.348 BCE], 896a)
A Reaction
We may suspect that he defines soul in this way for a particular context, aimed at proving the existence of a First Mover. He must think there is more to soul than the generation of movement.
Book Reference
Plato: 'Complete Works', ed/tr. Cooper,John M. [Hackett 1997], p.1552
Related Idea
Idea 21258 The only possible beginning for the endless motions of reality is something self-generated [Plato]