學者們經常主張，柏拉圖提出靈魂三分的概念，使得他無法賦予統一的靈魂或人格一個合理的說明。這篇文章的目的是希望提出下列三個觀點來處理此一問題：首先，柏拉圖對靈魂三分的說明並不會讓他陷入靈魂的各個部分之中尚有次分的窘境。此外，靈魂的統一與和諧無法以暴力或對話的方式，只能以教育的方式達成。最後，藉由討論柏拉圖在《理想國篇》中所提出的二階段教育的內容，彰顯出教育是使這三部分和諧相處，並使它們是一而非多的有效手段。

It is often held by scholars that Plato’s notion of the tripartite soul makes him unable to give an account of the unified soul or personality. The aim of this paper is to tackle this problem by proposing the following three views: first, Plato’s account of the soul would not commit him to the view that within the each part of the soul there are sub-divisions; second, the unity and harmony of the soul could not be achieved by violence and conversation, but by education. Finally, by exploring Plato’s education programme in The Republic we can see that it is the only efficient means for bringing the three parts into harmony, and makes them one instead of many.