Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Principles of Philosophy', 'Philosophical Letters' and 'Phaedrus'

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2 ideas

15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 2. Psuche
The soul is self-motion [Plato]
     Full Idea: Self-motion is of the very nature of the soul.
     From: Plato (Phaedrus [c.366 BCE], 245e)
     A reaction: This culminates a length discussion of the soul. He gives an implausible argument that the soul is immortal, because it could never cease its self-motion. Why are we so unimpressed by motion, when the Greeks were amazed by it?
15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 1. Consciousness / b. Essence of consciousness
We can understand thinking occuring without imagination or sensation [Descartes]
     Full Idea: We can understand thinking without imagination or sensation, as is quite clear to anyone who attends to the matter.
     From: René Descartes (Principles of Philosophy [1646], I.53)
     A reaction: We may certainly take it that Descartes means if it is understandable then it is logically possible. To believe that thinking could occur without imagination strikes me as an astonishing error. I take imagination to be more central than understanding.