Apology and Phaedo - Philosophy Case
Essay by timo1311 • May 8, 2013 • Essay • 592 Words (3 Pages) • 1,808 Views
The texts in the apology and Phaedo both retell the thoughts and the words of Socrates by Plato. However, the two texts consist of contrasting information regarding death. Socrates' view of death in the apology show how men cannot claim to know what death is until they experience it. The view changes in the Phaedo text depicting the immortality of the soul while giving a resounding argument to attest the case. The two views have stood tests of proof as having truth to some extent though the Phaedo view, which cites the immortality of the soul, presets a more rational argument. Socrates practiced death his life by spending it explaining different aspects of the soul, the human body, and their characteristics upon death. Philosophers see the soul as a separate entity from the human body and explain further that the soul's reasoning is at its best when it untroubled by the senses. The philosophers' arguments provide an explanation for authenticating virtue as if it were not for the body, the perceptions of the soul might not get distortion.
The transmigration of souls from one life to another based on the immortality of the soul is a much-debated argument. Those who believe in it end up living a good life hoping that their souls will reincarnate and continue existence in the next life through another being. Socrates supports these views in through his arguments about the immortality of the soul. He reinforces the views by stating that the soul's recollections of the current state result from pre-existence, however, it forgets everything upon entering the new body. Additionally, people possess an innate knowledge of things and are able to make correct judgments through that knowledge. The dictum 'opposite from opposites' refers to Socrates' arguments of the soul's existence way before the body. Importantly, he argues of the fact that dead things become alive and vice versa. He uses this rationale to support reincarnation citing that the soul survives after death since it did before life. Socrates' theory of pleasure and pain represents obvious arguments. Each of the events tends to rivet the soul deeper into the body making it hard for the soul to escape. The argument supports the previous argument of opposites based on the properties of form.
The recollection theory by Socrates claims the credit for all learning. Socrates points out to the fact that memory about things becomes activated consciousness of another. Awareness about the equableness of stones and sticks comes by senses and similarly to their shortage to actual of equality. Despite the fact that these instances do not exist in the sensible domain, people have this notion from the time when they were alive. The philosopher used this argument to infer that learning emanated prior to our birth since humans could not have learnt of equality from senses. This rationale argues that if humans know what equality, justice, happiness, beauty
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