Human Nature and Conduct · Character

Plato

Ancient Greek philosopher cited for his views on human nature and conduct.

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Plato's tie to Aristotle is one of the pressures that moves Human Nature and Conduct—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

Dewey references Plato's idea of the tripartite soul as an example of a dualistic view that separates reason from appetite and habit.

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Aristotle
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Aristotle and Plato are connected as teacher and student with differing philosophical… How this plays out →

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Plato appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Part I: The Place of Habit in Conduct
Dewey references Plato's idea of the tripartite soul as an example of a dualistic view that separates reason from appetite and habit.
III: Character and Conduct
Mentioned for his view of ideal objects as patterns for reorganizing the actual scene, though criticized for converting a function of reorganization into a metaphysical reality.
Custom and Morality
Dewey discusses Plato's ethical writings, noting that Plato's solution to the dilemma of personal thought versus objective standards was to posit reason as universal and cosmic, substituting a metaphysical ethics for the ethics of custom.
V: Classification of Instincts
Dewey references Plato's threefold division of the soul as an example of historical instinct classification that reflects social conditions.
No Separate Instincts
Referenced in the context of treating 'woman' as a Platonic universal entity, critiquing the abstraction of fixed natures.
Part III: The Place of Intelligence in Conduct
Dewey discusses Plato's idea of reason as a separate faculty, which he rejects in favor of a more integrated view of intelligence.
Desire and Intelligence
Referenced implicitly in the discussion of ideals as transcendent and remote, contrasting with Dewey's pragmatic view.

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