Aristotle's De Anima

Aristotle's *De Anima* (On the Soul) explores what makes living beings alive. He sees the soul as the "form" of the body—an integrated principle that gives life, activity, and purpose. Different creatures have different types of souls: plants have a nutritive soul (growth and reproduction), animals have a sensory and locomotive soul (perception and movement), and humans possess rational thought. The work investigates how the soul's features relate to bodily functions, emphasizing that the soul isn't separate from the body but its essence, guiding various life processes essential to being alive.