---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The soul must be distinct from intellect…"
description: "\"The soul must be distinct from intellect because even at its best, what the soul does when it's thinking, is it thinks linguistically, it thinks in a t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/peter-adamson-14769_argument_the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect_3089609.jpg"
---

#  The soul must be distinct from intellect because even at…

![“The soul must be distinct from intellect because even at its best, what the soul does when it's thinking, is it thinks linguistically, it thinks in a temporarily extended way, so it for example, might go through the steps of an argument chain, as if you were going through a syllogism and seeing…” quote by Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/peter-adamson-14769_argument_the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect_3089609.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/peter-adamson-14769_argument_the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect_3089609.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/peter-adamson-14769_argument_the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect_3089609.jpg)

> “The soul must be distinct from intellect because even at its best, what the soul does when it's thinking, is it thinks linguistically, it thinks in a temporarily extended way, so it for example, might go through the steps of an argument chain, as if you were going through a syllogism and seeing that something followed from the premises, whereas intellect simply grasps the forms.”

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The soul processes thoughts linguistically and temporally, unlike intellect which grasps forms instantly.

**In simple terms:** Soul thinks in language over time; intellect sees forms instantly.

Key Takeaway

Recognize different thinking modes.

Themes

philosophy mind language intellect

Mood

contemplative analytical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- education
- self‑reflection
- creative writing

Key Concepts

cognitive science metaphysics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance soul‑like and intellect‑like thinking?
- When is linguistic reasoning preferable?

A Different Perspective

Intellect may overlook emotional nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Distinct Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinct-intellect-5307187/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Intellect Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect-simply-5307189/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Premises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/premises/) [Premises Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/premises-intellect-5307190/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul Distinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-distinct-5307188/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [The premises from which we begin are not arbitrary ones, not dogmas, but real premises from which abstraction can only be made in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/the-premises-from-which-we-begin-are-not-arbitrary-ones-not-dogmas/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [You can't go on stage and live - it's false all the way. I can't stand the premise of going out in jeans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/you-can-t-go-on-stage-and-live-it-s-false-all-the-way-i-can-t-stand/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [I realised that all one really had to do was just observe. Observe and slightly exaggerate, and you had comedy. Instead of creating a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/i-realised-that-all-one-really-had-to-do-was-just-observe-observe-and/)

[Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/)

> [the pyramids were built for pharaohs on the happy theory that they could take their stuff with them. Versailles was built for kings on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-pyramids-were-built-for-pharaohs-on-the-happy-theory-that-they/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [My fundamental premise about the brain is that its workings - what we sometimes call "mind" - are a consequence of its anatomy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/my-fundamental-premise-about-the-brain-is-that-its-workings-what-we-2/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [God is intelligent; but in what manner? Man is intelligent by the act of reasoning, but the supreme intelligence lies under no necessity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/god-is-intelligent-but-in-what-manner-man-is-intelligent-by-the-act/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [Find the trend whose premise is false, and bet against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/find-the-trend-whose-premise-is-false-and-bet-against-it/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [The premise of Kiss has always been to not live within the confinements and boundaries other people set for themselves. We set our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stanley/the-premise-of-kiss-has-always-been-to-not-live-within-the/)

[Paul Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stanley/)

> [Originally the premise of killing Hitler was fueled by deep traumatic feelings of wishing and fantasizing that if only things had been different, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavriel-david-rosenfeld/originally-the-premise-of-killing-hitler-was-fueled-by-deep-traumatic/)

[Gavriel David Rosenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavriel-david-rosenfeld/)

> [You know, we certainly have a great budget on the show, but the expansions to world of the show really arise because, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/you-know-we-certainly-have-a-great-budget-on-the-show-but-the/)

[Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/)

> [When the difficulty of a problem lies only in finding out what follows from certain fixed premises, mathematical methods furnish invaluable wings for flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-wellington/when-the-difficulty-of-a-problem-lies-only-in-finding-out-what/)

[Arthur M. Wellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-wellington/)

> [The skilful disputant well knows that he never has his enemy at more advantage than when, by allowing the premises, he shows him arguing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-warburton/the-skilful-disputant-well-knows-that-he-never-has-his-enemy-at-more/)

[William Warburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-warburton/)

> [The premises being thus settled, I proceed to observe that the concatenation of self-existence, proceeding in a reciprocal duplicate ratio, naturally produces a problematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-premises-being-thus-settled-i-proceed-to-observe-that-the/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [One of the problems with industrialism is that it's based on the premise of more and more. It has to keep expanding to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dora-russell/one-of-the-problems-with-industrialism-is-that-it-s-based-on-the/)

[Dora Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dora-russell/)

> [Fatalism is a false premise. What will be is not necessarily what must be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/fatalism-is-a-false-premise-what-will-be-is-not-necessarily-what-must/)

[Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/)

## More by Peter Adamson

> [Plotinus thought that the entire world has a single soul. He also thought that each animal and plant and of course human, has an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/plotinus-thought-that-the-entire-world-has-a-single-soul-he-also/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [Assuming there is an intellect, we're clearly not this universal intellect or we would know it. So that's one function of soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/assuming-there-is-an-intellect-we-re-clearly-not-this-universal/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [The body is some kind of image of you, it's kind of something that's just attached to your soul, some kind of outside principle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-body-is-some-kind-of-image-of-you-it-s-kind-of-something-that-s/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [The forms are part of the mind, or really are the mind, they're just the contents of this universal night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-forms-are-part-of-the-mind-or-really-are-the-mind-they-re-just/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [Before the 3rd century you're having several philosophical schools still as a going concern. You have not only the Platonists and the Aristotelians but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/before-the-3rd-century-you-re-having-several-philosophical-schools/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [Unlike later Neo-Platonists, Plotinus says that our souls are always connected to the universal intellect and that we never really fall away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/unlike-later-neo-platonists-plotinus-says-that-our-souls-are-always/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [The forms in intellect are some kind of blueprint or model on which the physical world is based, and something needs to come along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-forms-in-intellect-are-some-kind-of-blueprint-or-model-on-which/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [Once you're in a kind of revealed religious tradition, you wind up having to explain how the things said about God in the Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/once-you-re-in-a-kind-of-revealed-religious-tradition-you-wind-up/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [Al-Ghazali is the most important philosophical theologian of classical Islam, and Moderation in Belief is among his most important works. It sets out al-Ghazali's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/al-ghazali-is-the-most-important-philosophical-theologian-of/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [In fact Plotinus thought not only that soul in general is eternal so that you always have soul, but he thought that each person's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/in-fact-plotinus-thought-not-only-that-soul-in-general-is-eternal-so/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [The intellect must be different from the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-intellect-must-be-different-from-the-soul/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [Basically the problem is that if the intellect is looking at or beholding the forms, what it will get is some kind of representation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/basically-the-problem-is-that-if-the-intellect-is-looking-at-or/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [The body distracts your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-body-distracts-your-soul/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [For Plotinus, what really exists are the Platonic forms, so the true nature or form of things like justice, beauty, maybe numbers, things like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/for-plotinus-what-really-exists-are-the-platonic-forms-so-the-true/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

> [This is in a way the most important thing about soul is that it's a kind of principle which mediates between the universal intellect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/this-is-in-a-way-the-most-important-thing-about-soul-is-that-it-s-a/)

[Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

[Explore all 45 Peter Adamson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/)

## More Argument quotes

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

> [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/)

[Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/)

> [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/)

[Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

[Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The soul must be distinct from intellect because even at its best, what the soul does when it's thinking, is it thinks linguistically, it thinks in a temporarily extended way, so it for example, might go through the steps of an argument chain, as if you were going through a syllogism and seeing that something followed from the premises, whereas intellect simply grasps the forms.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Adamson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect-because-even-at-its-best/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Argument"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect-because-even-at-its-best/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/peter-adamson-14769_argument_the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect_3089609.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/peter-adamson-14769_argument_the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect_3089609.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/peter-adamson-14769_argument_the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect_3089609.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The soul must be distinct from intellect because even at its best, what the soul does when it's thinking, is…” — Peter Adamson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Peter Adamson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The soul must be distinct from...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect-because-even-at-its-best/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/the-soul-must-be-distinct-from-intellect-because-even-at-its-best/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
