Soul and Immortality in Ancient Greek Literature

Abstract

The emergence of the concept of soul and its significance has been a matter of interest since olden times. There have been different views and terminologies in different eras to understand this mysterious, unknown and unseen concept yet recognized as endless powerful source of understanding life and energy. 5th and 6th century BC Greek thinkers, who were commonly known as Presocratics, termed it as "psyche" and introduced a new way of inquiring into the world and the place of human beings. They were recognized in antiquity as the first philosophers and scientists of Western tradition. They developed their own thoughts based on psyche and connected them to cosmogony and cosmology, hence initiating a new method of explanation known as philosophy.