etite calls. This second of the three parts was labeled the rational calculating ability of an individual. Included in that ability, would be the possession of some kind of knowledge or wisdom pertaining to such decisions. It refers to the cultural aspects or skills indoctrinated that have the potential to override the natural instincts of the body. The third part was the spirited desires or emotions such as anger, hatred, love, and honor. This spirited part was to be separate because they found the varying emotions to be the result of varying actions or conflicts between the first two. In those cases of conflicts, although mostly siding with the rational, they found the spirited side sometimes taking its own course. When appetite called and rational agreed, because of other feelings or beliefs, the spirited side could still overcome those urges and cause a different outcome. One such example is that of fasting. The bodys appetite calls for food, and while the rational approves of the hunger, because of religious beliefs, the spirited part of the soul reigns.Putting all three of these together produced the whole of the soul. In order to encompass all humans, Plato had to find all the varying possibilities of the three interacting on behalf of its whole. He wanted to find a balance allowing for the dominance of one trait, but not to completely stifle either of the other two. But, in order to achieve balance, one had to know what balance was. The individual must undergo proper learning in order find out more about ones self. He would have to know his own strengths and weaknesses in order to maintain or direct the elements of his soul. Knowledge would be the beginning to the wisdom of balance. For balance to be achieved, all three parts had to function in a way as to complement the others or at least enable them to function on their own, in essence functioning in excellence. When each part of the soul was learned and maste...
