Blackwell Reference Online

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P hilosophy of science, philosophy of mind [from Latin anima , soul, corresponding to Greek, psyche ; Aristotle's Peri Psyche (On the Soul) is generally translated as De Anima ] The distinction between living and non-living things lies, according to Aristotle , in the fact the former have souls , although there is a hierarchy of souls, from vegetative, locomotive, and sensory to rational souls. Only man has a rational soul, and plants have no more than vegetative souls. The Bible says that living things are animated with “the breath of life.” Thus, the mark of living things is that they are animated or ensouled. Nowadays we distinguish between plants and animals, with humans considered to be a special kind of animal. Descartes , as a consequence of his dualism, described animals as mechanical automata and preferred to call them beasts rather than animals. The normal way to distinguish between human beings and non-human animals appeals to the fact that humans alone are self-conscious and genuine language users. “In my opinion the main reason for holding that animals lack thought is the following … It has never been observed that any brute animal has attained the perfection of using real speech, that is to say, of indicating by word or sign something relating to thought alone and not to natural impulse.” Descartes, The Philosophical Writings ... log in or subscribe to read full text