The Immortality of the Soul in Plato's Phaedo
Dao Le
Prof. Mark Cronin
HU 102 - HD
April 2, 2012
The Immortality of the Soul in Plato’s Phaedo Among Plato’s dialogues, which serve to honor the realm of philosophy in general and Socrates’s life in particular, the Phaedo dramatically and poignantly portrays the death scene of Socrates. The Phaedo evokes such tragic sentiments of pity and fear while at the same time glorifies Socrates as the martyr for the truth. He dies because of human’s injustice yet faces his own death with extraordinary serenity and fearlessness; he devotes his whole life for philosophy and in fact practices it until the last minutes. In this dialogue, the philosophical discussion is about the soul. However, as a dualist, for the most part Socrates takes for granted the existence of the soul while arguing for the immortality of the soul, which eventually turns to a conclusion that the soul does survive the death of the body and it is immortal. On the opening of the Phaedo, Socrates’s readiness to die and his astounding composure before his death utterly surprise both his friends and the audience: “the man appeared happy in both manner and words as he died nobly and without fear” (Plato 58e). As Cicero says, Socrates at his death “spoke in language which made him seem not as one thrust out to die but as one ascending to the heavens” (Ahrensdorf 1). The reason he acts in such fearless manner lies in his hope and belief in the afterlife: “I should be wrong not to resent dying if I did not believe that I should go first to other wise and good gods, and then to men who have died and are better than men are here” (Plato 63b). He strongly believes in a realm we’d basically call heaven, which is populated by gods and other philosophical kindred souls. He wishes to enjoy the company of wise gods and good men in a better political community in the afterlife, and accordingly he is of good hope that there is something for the departed and that, as is said of old, it is much better for the good
Prof. Mark Cronin
HU 102 - HD
April 2, 2012
The Immortality of the Soul in Plato’s Phaedo Among Plato’s dialogues, which serve to honor the realm of philosophy in general and Socrates’s life in particular, the Phaedo dramatically and poignantly portrays the death scene of Socrates. The Phaedo evokes such tragic sentiments of pity and fear while at the same time glorifies Socrates as the martyr for the truth. He dies because of human’s injustice yet faces his own death with extraordinary serenity and fearlessness; he devotes his whole life for philosophy and in fact practices it until the last minutes. In this dialogue, the philosophical discussion is about the soul. However, as a dualist, for the most part Socrates takes for granted the existence of the soul while arguing for the immortality of the soul, which eventually turns to a conclusion that the soul does survive the death of the body and it is immortal. On the opening of the Phaedo, Socrates’s readiness to die and his astounding composure before his death utterly surprise both his friends and the audience: “the man appeared happy in both manner and words as he died nobly and without fear” (Plato 58e). As Cicero says, Socrates at his death “spoke in language which made him seem not as one thrust out to die but as one ascending to the heavens” (Ahrensdorf 1). The reason he acts in such fearless manner lies in his hope and belief in the afterlife: “I should be wrong not to resent dying if I did not believe that I should go first to other wise and good gods, and then to men who have died and are better than men are here” (Plato 63b). He strongly believes in a realm we’d basically call heaven, which is populated by gods and other philosophical kindred souls. He wishes to enjoy the company of wise gods and good men in a better political community in the afterlife, and accordingly he is of good hope that there is something for the departed and that, as is said of old, it is much better for the good
Cited: Ahrensdorf, Peter. The Death of Socrates and the Life of Philosophy. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995. Print. Bostock, David. Plato 's Phaedo. Oxford New York: Clarendon Press Oxford University Press, 1986. Print. Gallop, David, and Plato. Plato: Phaedo. Oxford [u.a.: Clarendon, 1998. Print. Kagan, Shelly. Arguments for the existence of the soul, Part IV; Plato, Part I. 2011. Video. Yale University, 2011. Plato. Five Dialogues. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub., 2002. Print. Sedley, David. “Platonic Causes.” Phronesis, Vol. 43, No. 2 (May, 1998), pp. 114-132. Web. 10 April 2012. White, David. Myth and Metaphysics in Plato 's Phaedo. Selinsgrove Pa.: Susquehanna University Press, 1989. Print.