Nutrition and Nutritive Soul in Aristotle and Aristotelianism (Topoi Plus-5)

Aristotle is one of the first philosophers who attribute special significance to the most basic part of the soul, namely, the nutritive part. The importance of this psychic part stems not only from the fact that it is possessed by all living things and constitutes a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the soul’s other parts, but also from the fact that it is responsible for the manifestation of a variety of vital functions, such as generation, nutrition, growth and cooling of the living body.