The Phaedo gives us four different arguments for the immortality of the soul: The Argument from Opposites, the Theory of Recollection, the Argument from Affinity, and the final argument, given as a response to Cebes’ objection. Plato does not seem to place equal weight on all four of these arguments.
What is Socrates argument from opposites?
Here Socrates introduces the Argument from Opposites. He puts forth the claim that everything that comes to be, comes to be from its opposite. For instance, for an object to become bigger, it must have been smaller beforehand, and has become bigger out of this smallness.
What is Plato’s most convincing argument for the immortality of the soul?
The lecture focuses exclusively on one argument for the immortality of the soul from Plato’s Phaedo, namely, “the argument from simplicity.” Plato suggests that in order for something to be destroyed, it must have parts, that is, it must be possible to “take it apart.” Arguing that the soul is simple, that it does not …
What is the recollection argument?
The Theory of Recollection shows that the soul existed before birth, and the Argument from Opposites shows that it must have been born from out of death. Bearing in mind that the soul has to be re-born after it dies, Simmias and Cebes are forced to acknowledge that it must continue to exist after death.
Did Plato believe in the afterlife?
In ancient Western philosophy, Plato affirmed both a pre-natal life of the soul and the soul’s continued life after the death of the body. … The philosophical assessment of the truth of such matters continues on to the present, as does debate on the implications of whether we may survive death.
What is simmias harmony argument?
Simmias’ argument–harmony:lyre::soul:body (85e-86d) (1) The soul is a harmony. (2) A harmony is invisible, without body and like the divine. (3) A lyre is physical, bodily, composite, etc. (4) If the lyre’s strings are broken, the harmony no longer exists.
Are Plato and Socrates the same person?
Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher had most of his teachings and philosophies written and recorded by writers after his death which included his students Plato and Xenophon. While Plato was a Greek philosopher from the classical period and the founder of the Platonic school of thought.
What is Socrates argument for life after death from two kinds of things?
Socrates supports this claim with an argument in the form of a constructive dilemma: either death involves the cessation of consciousness, in which case our afterlife existence will resemble a single night of dreamless sleep, or after our death we will go to a place where all the dead are ruled over by just judges.
Why is the soul not a conglomeration of attuned parts?
Simmias’ objection comparing the soul to the attunement of a musical instrument is closely linked to Pythagorean thought. The Pythagoreans believed in the divinity of music, and in the notion that the motion of the celestial spheres is dictated by perfect harmonies. … Thus, the soul cannot exist without the body.
What are Socrates arguments in his own defense?
In his defence at trial, Socrates faced two sets of accusations: (i) asebeia (impiety) against the pantheon of Athens, by introducing new gods; and (ii) corruption of Athenian youth, by teaching them to doubt the status quo.
Who is the philosopher behind the view body and soul Cannot be separated?
Aristotle: a monist approach There can be no soul present without the body. Our soul is a human soul with human properties. They have a rational and an irrational part.
Why does Plato argue that knowing is remembering?
Plato believes that one already has knowledge because the Soul knows the Forms. He thinks that since the Soul holds all knowledge then one must recollect upon the question and the answer will be remembered.
What is Meno’s paradox?
An Objection to Inquiry The argument known as “Meno’s Paradox” can be reformulated as follows: If you know what you’re looking for, inquiry is unnecessary. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, inquiry is impossible. Therefore, inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible.
What is wrong with the theory of recollection?
The problem with his theory is that it’s not completely convincing that it gives a good description of learning. The theory of recollection describes learning as remembering. A problem with that is that the slave boy example does not prove that learning is remembering.
Is the soul a form?
The soul is not an independently existing substance. It is linked to the body more directly: it is the form of the body, not a separate substance inside another substance (a body) of a different kind. It is a capacity, not the thing that has the capacity.
Where does the soul go after it leaves the body?
“Good and contented souls” are instructed “to depart to the mercy of God.” They leave the body, “flowing as easily as a drop from a waterskin”; are wrapped by angels in a perfumed shroud, and are taken to the “seventh heaven,” where the record is kept. These souls, too, are then returned to their bodies.
What is the meaning behind the myth of Er?
Socrates tells Glaucon the Myth of Er to explain that the choices we make and the character we develop will have consequences after death. … Those who lived happy but middling lives in their previous life are most likely to choose the same for their future life, not necessarily because they are wise, but out of habit.
How does Homer describe the afterlife?
Homer’s Underworld was described as as the land where the dead souls go to receive a reciprocity, a life in death parallel to earthly life. The land of the dead is ruled by the god Hades.
How does a wise soul rule the body?
The philosopher knows that the soul is superior to the body and should be its master rather than its slave. As the body desires pleasures of the flesh, so the soul desires wisdom. … It is in this respect that the philosopher dishonors the body, for his soul runs away from the body and desires to be alone and by itself.
Why does Socrates believe we must reject the body?
Socrates believes we should welcome death because since the soul is what attains true knowledge, once it is separated from the body, the senses of the body will no longer mislead the soul to attain true knowledge.
What does the souls immortality have to do with recollection?
Unlike the body, the soul is immortal, so it will survive death. … Life and death are in a perpetual cycle such that death cannot be a permanent end. The second argument, known as the Theory of Recollection, asserts that learning is essentially an act of recollecting things we knew before we were born but then forgot.
What did Plato and Socrates disagree on?
Socrates has his teachings centered primarily around epistemology and ethics while Plato was quite concerned with literature, education, society, love, friendship, rhetoric, arts, etc. Socrates disagreed with the concept of overreaching; he describes it as a foolish way to live.
Who are the 3 most important Greek philosophers?
The Socratic philosophers in ancient Greece were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These are some of the most well-known of all Greek philosophers.
Are Plato and Aristotle the same person?
For some 20 years Aristotle was Plato’s student and colleague at the Academy in Athens, an institution for philosophical, scientific, and mathematical research and teaching founded by Plato in the 380s. Although Aristotle revered his teacher, his philosophy eventually departed from Plato’s in important respects.
How do Epicurus view death?
Epicurus believed, contrary to Aristotle, that death was not to be feared. When a man dies, he does not feel the pain of death because he no longer is and therefore feels nothing. Therefore, as Epicurus famously said, “death is nothing to us.” When we exist, death is not; and when death exists, we are not.
Why is Socrates not afraid of death in the apology?
In the “Apology” Socrates is on trial for crimes he has not committed. Socrates ultimately does not fear death because of his innocence, he believes that death is not feared because it may be one of the greatest blessings of the soul.
What is a Platonic argument?
Platonism is the view that there exist such things as abstract objects — where an abstract object is an object that does not exist in space or time and which is therefore entirely non-physical and non-mental.
What is attunement theory?
Attunement describes how reactive a person is to another’s emotional needs and moods. A person who is well attuned will respond with appropriate language and behaviors based on another person’s emotional state.
What is the myth at the end of phaedo?
In the final scene of the Phaedo Plato clearly suggests that Socrates’ death will be good in this sense. Notice that Socrates drinks the hemlock while the sun is still shining (for it has not yet fallen below the hills, 116e).
What is Simmias attunement thesis?
‘ In the person of Simmias, he presents the thesis that the mind is an emergent property of matter, and is dependent upon a particular organization of matter for its very existence. He likens it to a harmonious sound, brought about by tuned strings on a musical instrument.
Graduated from ENSAT (national agronomic school of Toulouse) in plant sciences in 2018, I pursued a CIFRE doctorate under contract with Sun’Agri and INRAE in Avignon between 2019 and 2022. My thesis aimed to study dynamic agrivoltaic systems, in my case in arboriculture. I love to write and share science related Stuff Here on my Website. I am currently continuing at Sun’Agri as an R&D engineer.