Final answer:
A person's character or ethos can be understood through the lens of philosophical notions of the soul, particularly those of Plato and Aristotle.
The idea that character is shaped by virtue cultivation, universal truths, and ethical practices is embedded in these philosophies, reflected in Aristotle's functional conception of the soul and Plato's Theory of the Forms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Character, or ethos, can be understood through Plato's, and by extension, Plutarch's concept of the soul (psyche). According to Plutarch, though a Greek by ethnicity, his Roman citizenship and his time led him to also consider the cultural customs and religious practices of others as markers of character.
Plutarch's understanding of the soul was likely influenced by his Greek culture and philosophical legacy, notably by Plato and Aristotle's theories of the soul.
Aristotle's functional conception of the soul posits that everything has a soul with its purpose serving as its defining characteristic.
A vegetative soul for growth and nutrients exchange in plants, an animal soul adding the ability to experience the world, desire things, and move, and the human soul further endowed with the capacity to reason.
This reasoning component allows a person to cultivate virtues, as per Aristotle's ethical framework, which in return shapes their ethos. The virtues a person cultivates, according to Aristotle, lead to an ethical character and overall happiness or eudaimonia.
Aristotle's teacher, Plato, also had a profound impact on notions of character formation. Plato's Theory of the Forms and the concept of an immortal and spiritual soul suggest that character is not solely determined by bodily or temporal experiences, but also by an individual's relations to universal truths and virtues. This relationship to the ideal forms can shape a person's ethos.
In sum, an understanding of a person's character can be derived from both Plutarch's ideas and the philosophical ground laid by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
The nature of the soul and its virtues, the influence of life experiences, and the alignment with universal truths and ethical practices all contribute to character development.