Philosophy Paper 2 - Spelman’s argument about Plato’s relationship to the body and soul PDF

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As in the first paper, your assignment is to pick one of the arguments from the list below.
Pick an argument that you DID NOT analyze in the first paper.
Write a paper that explains the main claim the argument’s author makes, the claims they
advance to support their main claim, the...

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Philosophy of Human Nature 3 April 2020 Equality Among the Body and Soul In Elizabeth Spelman’s piece, “Woman as Body: Ancient and Contemporary Views'', she writes about the negative depictions of women throughout history and her views on Plato’s conception of the body and soul. Plato believes in the dualistic perception of the body and soul, where the body is evil and the soul is virtuous. He also asserts that women value their bodies more than their souls; therefore, no one should strive to be like women. In this paper, I will argue that according to Spelman, Plato's misogynistic views have led him to constantly degrade women’s standings throughout history. Spelman shows Plato’s misogynistic viewpoint through his psychophilia, Plato adores the soul and it has caused him to adopt a negative connotation around women through it. Additionally, Spelman uses Plato’s somatophobia, the ultimate loathing of the body, to expose Plato’s malicious attitude towards women. Not only does Spelman argue Plato’s psychophilia and somatophobia, but she also tries to reveal that Plato is sexist. In Spelman’s writing, she aims to illustrate Plato’s belief that the importance of the soul leads him to show the equality between men and women. Plato has what Spelman depicts as psychophilia. Psychophilia is one’s undying love for the soul, Plato believes that the soul is immortal and the body is mortal. With this being in mind, he claims that we do not need the body since it will die. Spelman sees this conclusion by Plato as a proof of equality. In her writing she

2 states, “If we are our souls, and our bodies are not essential to who we are, then it doesn't make any difference, ultimately, whether we have a woman's body or a man's body… If the only difference between women and men is that they have different bodies, and if bodies are merely incidental attachments to what constitutes one's real identity, then there is no important difference between men and women” (Spelman 118). Spelman highlights that what makes us who we are is our souls not our bodies. Our soul is the symbol of our “true identity”. According to Plato, people should focus on the soul, not the body at all. Spelman uses this to explain that if there are truly no differences in the body between men and women except their physical appearance and that the body does not define them, then there are no real differences between them. Virtue comes through the soul and people’s bodies do not determine that virtue since all virtue is the same according to Plato’s theory of forms; virtue is eternal. Due to Plato’s belief in the importance of the soul, Spelman is able to uncover Plato’s misogynistic views of women. In addition to Plato’s psychophilia, Spelman strives to show Plato’s underlying misogynistic views through his somatophobia, one’s loathing of the body and hatred for it. Even though Plato preaches the importance of the soul and that the body does not determine who we are, he still singles out a culprit to the evil of the body, “he can't but regard the kind of body one has as of no final significance, so there is no way for him to assess differentially the lives of women and men; but when making gloomy pronouncements about the worth of the body, he points an accusing finger at a class of people with a certain kind of body - women - because he regards them, as a class, as embodying (!) the very traits he wishes no one to have.” (Spelman 118). Although Plato preaches equality among men and women in his work, “Republic”, he still singles out women as a felon of the body. He has an everlasting hatred of the body, but he also

3 says that the body has “no final significance”. Spelman argues in this piece that he only points his fingers to women because of his misogynistic views, not because they represent the body. Contradictions in Plato’s works and his relationship of the body and soul allow Spelman to determine his adverse attitude towards women. Spelman sees Plato as a sexist through his works and his opinion on the body and soul. He constantly mentions the importance of the soul and the insignificance of the body, yet he always looks towards women as the disasters of the body. Spelman writes and quotes Plato, “Well, says Plato, look at the lives of women. It is women who get hysterical at the thought of death (Phaedo 60a, 112d; Apology 35b); obviously, their emotions have overpowered their reason, and they can't control themselves. The worst possible model for young men could be ‘a woman, young or old or wrangling with her husband, defying heaven, loudly boasting, fortunate in her own conceit, or involved in misfortune or possessed by grief and lamentation still less a woman that is sick, in love, or in labor’ (Republic 395d-e)” (Spelman 115). Plato accuses women of being the worst people to look up to, and Spelman quotes him to demonstrate his contradictions in himself are not because of his relationship of the body and soul, but rather his misogynistic views. Spelman, being a feminist philosopher, sees him as a sexist and encourages that people do not fall into his way of thinking. Through Plato’s psychophilia, somatophobia, and sexist thinking, Spelman concludes that Plato’s misogynistic viewpoints are the reasoning behind his attitude towards women. As a feminist philosopher, Spelman desires to bring equality for all. She heavily disagrees with certain aspects of Plato’s relationship to the body and soul and sees him as a misogynist; however, she can also use his arguments to support her push for equality amongst men and women....