고대 원시 신화의 시대로부터 인간은 영혼의 개념을 사유해왔지만 철학적으로 분석하고 학문적으로 체계화되는 계기는 그리스 철학에 나타난다. 그리스 초기 자연철학자들은 영혼 혹은 생명의 일차적인 특징을 운동과 변화로 보았다. 먼저 탈레스가 모든 것의 원리를 ‘물’로 보았던 이유는 신화적으로나 철학적으로나 운동과 변화의 가장 일차적인 특징을 가지고 있기 때문일 것이다. 그래서 스스로 움직일 수 있고 변할 수 있는 것은 영혼을 가졌다고 생각했다. 다음으로 아낙시만드로스의 경우에 영혼에 대해 말한 단편들은 거의 남아있지 않지만 생명체와 관련하여 탈레스와 비슷하게 습기로부터 생성되었다고 한다. 아낙시메네스에 이르면 영혼의 개념에 새로운 특징이 본격적으로 나타나기 시작한다. 영혼은 단일성의 원리로 우주를 둘러싸고 있는 우주의 공기(영혼)는 우주를 결합시키며 인간 안의 공기(영혼)는 우리를 결합시킨다. 헤라클레이토스도 영혼을 기본적으로 생명의 원리로 보지만 밀레토스 학파와 달리 영혼이 가장 덜 물질적이라 논하며 초월적인 사유를 발전시켰다. 헤라클레이토스의 영혼 개념의 독창적인 면은 ‘인식’ 능력을 덧붙였다는 사실이다. 오르페우스교와 피타고라스학파에게 나타난 영혼 개념은 영혼불멸론과 영혼윤회론으로 집약된다. 영혼윤회에서 벗어나기 위한 정화의 방법인 금욕주의는 일종의 종교적 금기나 윤리적 명령의 형식으로 나타난다. 현존하는 오르페우스교의 정화 방법은 육식을 금지하고 채식을 권장하는 것이며, 피타고라스학파의 경우에는 음악교육과 금욕적 생활을 강조했었다. 플라톤의 경우에 우리는 영혼의 정화를 세 가지 측면에 살펴볼 수 있다. 첫째, 인식론적 측면에서 그것은 인식 주체의 순수화를 통해 궁극적으로 진리의 인식을 목적으로 한다. 둘째, 존재론적 측면에서 그것은 이 세계를 끊임없이 배회하던 영혼을 윤회의 수레바퀴에서 벗어나 신들의 세계로 돌아가게 해준다. 셋째, 윤리적 측면에서 그것은 사후 심판의 보상과 처벌이라는 기준에 비추어 자신의 행위를 성찰하여 판단할 수 있는 윤리적 주체로서 확립해준다.
This treatise is aimed to analyze the concept of soul in philosophy from Thales to Platon, and to pursue the origin of western asceticism. Pre-socratic philosophers thought the distintion of soul as motion and change. Thales had said that first principle (arche) of all things was water, from which a thing first come-into-being and into which it is finally destroyed. It is the substance persisting but changing in its qualities. Anaximandros said that the first living creatures were born in moisture, and in the beginning man was born from creatures of a different kind. For Anaximenes air is the principle of existing things, for from it all things come-to be and into it they are again dissolved. As our soul being air holds us together and controls us, so does wind(breath) and air enclose the whole world. According to Heracleitos the soul is composed of fire. it comes from, and turns into, moisture, total absorption by which is death for it. The soul-fire is related to the world-fire. It is began to pay attention cognitive faculty as an important feature of soul. The asceticism is exposed as the form of religious taboo and ethical imperative for Orphics and Pythagoreans. The method to do catharsis of Orphism is to prohibit meat-eating and to encourage vegetarianism. Pythagoreans emphasized musical education and ascetical life as the method of catharsis to be free from transmigration of souls. Futhermore we consider three viewpoints on the catharsis of soul for Platon. First, it is purposed to cognize truth through purification of cognitive subject on the view of epistemology. Secondly, it makes soul return to get out of wheel of transmigration on the view of ontology. Lastly, it makes us established as ethical subject reflecting our thought and activity by which are received compensation or punishment through the judgment after death
This treatise is aimed to analyze the concept of soul in philosophy from Thales to Platon, and to pursue the origin of western asceticism. Pre-socratic philosophers thought the distintion of soul as motion and change. Thales had said that first principle (arche) of all things was water, from which a thing first come-into-being and into which it is finally destroyed. It is the substance persisting but changing in its qualities. Anaximandros said that the first living creatures were born in moisture, and in the beginning man was born from creatures of a different kind. For Anaximenes air is the principle of existing things, for from it all things come-to be and into it they are again dissolved. As our soul being air holds us together and controls us, so does wind(breath) and air enclose the whole world. According to Heracleitos the soul is composed of fire. it comes from, and turns into, moisture, total absorption by which is death for it. The soul-fire is related to the world-fire. It is began to pay attention cognitive faculty as an important feature of soul. The asceticism is exposed as the form of religious taboo and ethical imperative for Orphics and Pythagoreans. The method to do catharsis of Orphism is to prohibit meat-eating and to encourage vegetarianism. Pythagoreans emphasized musical education and ascetical life as the method of catharsis to be free from transmigration of souls. Futhermore we consider three viewpoints on the catharsis of soul for Platon. First, it is purposed to cognize truth through purification of cognitive subject on the view of epistemology. Secondly, it makes soul return to get out of wheel of transmigration on the view of ontology. Lastly, it makes us established as ethical subject reflecting our thought and activity by which are received compensation or punishment through the judgment after death