| Phi 109-01 Fall 2015 |
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Plato’s Phaedo is set on the day of Socrates’ execution (he dies at the end), and depicts a conversation he has with some friends who are visiting him in prison. Although Plato knew the historical Socrates, this is probably not intended report or reconstruct any actual conversation; the narrator who introduces the dialogue (the Phaedo of the title) specifically notes that Plato wasn’t present, and some take this as a way for Plato emphasize that this is a fictional conversation.
In this passage, Socrates is concerned to argue for the immortality of the soul. To do that, he needs to argue that the body and soul are different since the body is clearly mortal, and it is this side of his argument that is of most interest for our purposes.
• The heart of this argument is a series of contrasts between the soul and body presented in quick succession on 78c-80c. Look at them closely because they will the focus of our attention. You should (i) identify the individual points of constrast, (ii) formulate for yourself the argument Socrates has for each one, and (iii) think how someone who disagrees with him might reply.
• In the remainder of the selection, Socrates focuses on the implications of his contrast for the way people ought to lead their lives, and this can be seen as another sort of constrast between the body and the soul. So ask yourself whether there are two different ways of leading your life along the lines Socrates describes and, if so, whether the difference between them lies in a concern for the body in one case and the soul in the other.
It’s not clear how seriously Plato (or even his character Socrates) intend us to take the references to ghosts and reincarnation (e.g., 81d-e). Later in the dialogue (beginning at 107d), Socrates presents a much more elaborate account of what happens to souls between death and reincarnation and ends this account by saying that it may not be true but that it is still worth believing something like it, and the reason he gives for this could be understood to allude to the idea of charming away fears that appears at the beginning of your selection.