[ExI] Is anyone an expert on Aristotle and Life?

[natasha at natasha.cc]

   If the psyche* perishes with bodily death but the transhumanist  
perspective proposes the transmutation of matter toward a  posthuman  
state of existence, then body could be assumed to be nonbiological and  
therefore the psyche could continue on in the posthuman or upload  
state. Right?

   *I don't subscribe to psyche being "soul". That is a Western world  
interpretation and I am not convinced it is what Aristotle intended.

   Natasha

   Quoting BillK <pharos at gmail.com>:

> 2011/12/29  natasha wrote:
>> I'm a bit confused.  Aristotle's views on life in _De Anima_ are clear
>> enough ("the psyche (not soul) is the cause or the source of the living body
>> ...it is (a) the movement, it is (b) the end, it is (c) the essence of the
>> whoel living body".  And that that there are four causes (conditions): its
>> matter is its mater in which it exists; its from is the arrangement of
>> matter; it is moves/changes; and it has an aim/purpose (telos).
>>
>> Is the absolutely teleological in the sense that it is religous and
>> determined by a God?  Why is not the telos of human consciousness or aim to
>> evolve (self-directed evolution), as in transhumanism?
>>
>> If someone can help me with this, I'd appreciate it.
>>
>>
>
>
> The basic problem is that the Greek word 'psyche' is commonly
> translated as 'soul' in English writings. :)
>
> But try this article for further explanation:
> <http://www.socinian.org/aristotles_de_anima2.html[1]>
>
> THE PROBLEM OF THE SOUL IN ARISTOTLE’S De anima
>
> Quote (from the end of the article)
>
> Summary
>
> 1. The Aristotelian concept of the soul does not correspond to any
> religious tradition, perhaps with the exception of the Hebrew
> tradition. The religious concept is fundamentally dualistic, though it
> may be camouflaged by the assumption of temporary psychosomatic unity
> with the body in the living organism.
>
> 2. Aristotle's concept of the soul fits into his larger onto logical
> scheme of reality as composed of matter and form, potentiality and
> actuality.
>
> 3. The soul is described as the actuality or form of a living organism
> (living body) with all its faculties corresponding to the
> characteristics of life. As there is a gradualness in the degree of
> complexity of life, so there is a corresponding gradualness in the
> complexity of the soul. Man is at the top of the scale with the
> intellectual faculty of syllogism. However, we know today that the
> difference between the chimpanzee and man is of degree only.
>
> 4. The soul, being a form of the living body, perishes with the
> organism at death.
> etc.....
> --------------------------------
>
>
> BillK
>
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Links:
------
[1] http://www.socinian.org/aristotles_de_anima2.html
[2] http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat


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