Platon Fedon Prepricano

Platon Fedon Prepricano: An Introduction to Plato's Dialogue on the Soul

Plato's Phaedo, also known as On The Soul, is one of his best-known dialogues, along with the Republic and the Symposium. The philosophical subject of the dialogue is the immortality of the soul. It is set in the last hours prior to the death of Socrates, and is Plato's fourth and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days, following Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito.

The dialogue is told from the perspective of one of Socrates's students, Phaedo of Elis, who was present at Socrates's death bed. Phaedo relates the dialogue from that day to Echecrates, a Pythagorean philosopher. By engaging in dialectic with a group of Socrates's friends, including the two Thebans, Cebes, and Simmias, Socrates explores various arguments for the soul's immortality in order to show that there is an afterlife in which the soul will dwell following death. Phaedo tells the story that following the discussion, he and the others were there to witness the death of Socrates.

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The Arguments for the Soul's Immortality

Socrates offers four arguments for the soul's immortality:

The Cyclical Argument, or Opposites Argument explains that Forms are eternal and unchanging, and as the soul always brings life, then it must not die, and is necessarily "imperishable". As the body is mortal and is subject to physical death, the soul must be its indestructible opposite.

The Theory of Recollection explains that we possess some non-empirical knowledge (e.g. The Form of Equality) at birth, implying the soul existed before birth to carry that knowledge. Another account of the theory is that learning is essentially an act of recollecting things we knew before we were born but then forgot. The soul must have existed before we were born if it possessed knowledge from that time.

The Affinity Argument explains that invisible, immortal, and incorporeal things are different from visible, mortal, and corporeal things. Our soul is of the former group and our body is of the latter group. Therefore our soul is more like the invisible things than our body. This suggests that when our body dies and decays, our soul will continue to live.

The Argument from Form of Life explains that as the Forms are eternal and unchanging, so too is our soul. The soul participates in life, which is a Form. If something participates in a Form it does not change into its opposite. Therefore as long as it participates in life it cannot die.

The Objections and Replies

However, Socrates's arguments are not without objections from his interlocutors. Some of the main objections and replies are:

Simmias argues that the soul may be like a harmony of a musical instrument: it depends on its physical parts (the strings) but is distinct from them. However, when the instrument is destroyed, so is its harmony. Similarly, when the body dies, so does its soul.

Socrates replies that this analogy would imply that pre-existence of the soul is impossible. However, he has already shown that we have some innate knowledge that precedes our birth. Therefore, the soul cannot be like a harmony.

Cebes argues that even if the soul existed before birth and survived after death for some time, it may eventually wear out and perish after successive incarnations. He compares this to a cloak that becomes more worn out with each patching.

Socrates replies that this objection relies on a faulty analogy: unlike cloaks or bodies, souls do not have parts that can wear out or be replaced. Moreover, he argues that souls are immortal because they have a very special kind of existence: they are self-moving and self-sustaining. Unlike other things that depend on external causes for their motion and existence, souls are their own sources of motion and life.

The Conclusion

After presenting his arguments and refuting his objections, Socrates concludes that there is sufficient reason to believe in the immortality of the soul. He also discusses what he expects will happen to his soul after death: he believes that the souls of the good will go to a better place, where they can continue their philosophical inquiries in the company of the gods and other wise souls. He also warns against the dangers of misology, or the hatred of reason, which can arise from disappointment with bad arguments. He urges his friends to pursue philosophy as a way of preparing for death and attaining wisdom.

As the time of his execution approaches, Socrates calmly and cheerfully drinks the hemlock, while his friends weep and lament. He asks them to be quiet and composed, and to remember his teachings. He tells them that he is not afraid of death, but rather curious about what lies beyond. His last words are: "Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Pay it and do not neglect it." This is a reference to a customary sacrifice made by those who have recovered from a sickness; Socrates implies that death is a cure for the troubles of life.

Phaedo ends his narration by saying that he has never seen anyone die so nobly and so well as Socrates.

References

The information in this article is based on the following sources:

[Phaedo - Wikipedia]

[Platon Fedon Prepricano [BEST] by 8ocexundzu BandLab]

[GitHub]

[Platon Fedon Prepricano by 8menfauamwo BandLab]

[The Meaning of Life and Death in Plato's Fedon: A Prepricano]

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