Platos ' Account Of The Soul
AND THE THEORY OF THE FORMS IN THE PHAEDO
Luke Stock
PHIL 2006 X0
Professor Anna Wilks
November 21, 2014
Word count:
Plato gives an account of the relationship between his conception of the soul and the theory of the forms in the Socratic dialogue Phaedo. He rejects the established view that the soul is contingent on the body and is extinguished upon death and offers four defences for the notion of the immortality of the soul. From the observation that all things come to be from their opposites Socrates establishes that life follows death and that the soul must have existed before death. He then proposes that learning is actually a process of recollecting what we previously had knowledge of, this knowledge must have been possessed before birth, but then forgotten, again implying that the soul must have existed before birth. Socrates then draws a distinction draws between that which is immaterial, imperceptible and immortal and that which is material, perceptible and immortal. He argues that the body is like the former while the soul is of the second category, with each possessing the features of the things they bear affinity to, and thus the soul must be immortal and survive death. His final argument posits the causal nature of the Forms in relation to those things which participate in them. Socrates argues that the soul, through its very definition, participates in the Form of Life and thus must never…
-
The Soul : The Republic By Plato
1371 Words | 6 PagesDivision of the Soul The Republic by Plato emphasizes how justice is exemplified by arguing that our soul is divided into three different parts and relates to Eudaimonia, happiness. A Greek philosopher, Socrates, was determined to find the exact meaning of justice. Socrates along with other philosophers, such as Thrasymachus, Adeimantus, and Glaucon, continuously argued until a perfect definition was formed. Justice first started in the city that had an organization of three classes: a general class…
-
Plato 's Theory Of The Human Soul
1074 Words | 5 Pagessometimes Plato, using them as an authority when it suited his purpose. Even though Ibn Sina used Plato in some of his individual texts, he failed to mention him in his theory of the human soul because they have two different points to argue when it comes to this topic. One of Plato’s main point is that the soul is not a part of the body, and that it is imprisoned here on earth. He also argues that the soul has three main parts. On the contrary, Ibn Sina believed that we are all sharing one soul. Plato…
-
The Soul Stays the Same in Plato
1270 Words | 6 Pagesthe dullest, would agree that the soul is altogether more like that which always exists in the same state rather than like that which does not” (Plato, Phaedo 79e) In this paper I will argue that the soul is not necessarily unchanging and eternal, as many of Plato’s arguments would suggest otherwise. The main reasons in support of this claim are that there are questionable conclusions that Plato had reached that challenge the validity of his theory on immortal souls. The Phaedo is one of Plato’s greatest…
-
Plato 's Views On The Immortality Of The Soul
1391 Words | 6 Pagesdialogues Phaedo, Plato touches on some of the theories of Socrates that focus on the immortality of the soul. Plato explains four main arguments that attempt to prove that the soul is indeed immortal. After reviewing and analyzing the arguments given, I have come to the conclusion that Plato’s premises are not true. I believe that the arguments he offers are in some way invalid. In order to prove the validity of each discourse, I will evaluate each of the four arguments Plato presents. Before…
-
Plato 's Theory Of The Soul
1125 Words | 5 PagesIn this essay, I will be discussing how Plato divides the soul into three parts and how they are related with one another, what they are and what this division is supposed to tell us about the best life to live. Plato’s theory which can be referred to as justice in the individual, is split into three parts: appetite, spirit and reason. Throughout this essay, I will explore each part of this mechanism and how Plato believes this is the ideal way to live by being harmonious with these parts of consciousness…
-
Lucretius and Plato on the Mortality of the Soul
1671 Words | 7 PagesEssay I: Lucretius and Plato on the Mortality of the Soul In this essay it will be argued that the soul is mortal and does not survive the death of the body. As support, the following arguments from Lucretius will be examined: the “proof from the atomic structure of the soul,” the “proof from parallelism of mind and body,” the “proof from the sympatheia of mind and body,” and the “proof from the structural connection between mind and body.” The following arguments from Plato will be used as counterarguments…
-
Justice and Moderation of the Soul in The Republic, by Plato
3036 Words | 13 PagesIn his philosophical text, The Republic, Plato argues that justice can only be realized by the moderation of the soul, which he claims reflects as the moderation of the city. He engages in a debate, via the persona of Socrates, with Ademantus and Gaucon on the benefit, or lack thereof, for the man who leads a just life. I shall argue that this analogy reflecting the governing of forces in the soul and in city serves as a sufficient device in proving that justice is beneficial to those who believe…
-
Plato 's ' Phaedo For The Immortality Of The Soul
1701 Words | 7 PagesPlato 's final argument in Phaedo for the immortality of the soul is one of the most interesting topics of all time. The argument of whether the soul exists has been debated for years and even today. It goes hand to hand with the application of the theory of forms to the question of the soul 's immortality, as Plato constantly reminds us, the theory of forms is the most certain of all his theories. The Phaedo is Plato’s attempt to convince us of the immortality of the soul by using several main arguments…
-
The Soul and the Body: The Writings of Plato
1766 Words | 7 PagesThe Soul and the Body Philosophy is an old profession going back to the beginnings of recorded history. Since the times of the Greeks and Romans, people have taken it upon themselves to question the reality of their worlds and to wonder what it is that causes people to behave the ways that they do and what it means even to just be human. Plato, one of the most famous of the ancient philosophers, was taught by another most famous philosopher, Socrates a man perhaps even better known than him. Unfortunately…
-
Plato: Immortality of the Soul
1505 Words | 7 PagesPHAEDO: IMMORTALITY OF SOUL In the dialogue Phaedo Plato discusses the immortality of the soul. He presents four different arguments to prove the fact that although the body of the human perishes after death; the soul still exists and remains eternal. Firstly, he explains the Argument from Opposites that is about the forms and their existence in opposite forms. His second argument is Theory of Recollection which assumes that each and every information that one has in his/her mind is related to…
More about Platos ' Account Of The Soul
-
The Soul : The Republic By Plato
1371 Words | 6 Pages -
Plato 's Theory Of The Human Soul
1074 Words | 5 Pages -
The Soul Stays the Same in Plato
1270 Words | 6 Pages -
Plato 's Views On The Immortality Of The Soul
1391 Words | 6 Pages -
Plato 's Theory Of The Soul
1125 Words | 5 Pages -
Lucretius and Plato on the Mortality of the Soul
1671 Words | 7 Pages -
Justice and Moderation of the Soul in The Republic, by Plato
3036 Words | 13 Pages -
Plato 's ' Phaedo For The Immortality Of The Soul
1701 Words | 7 Pages -
The Soul and the Body: The Writings of Plato
1766 Words | 7 Pages -
Plato: Immortality of the Soul
1505 Words | 7 Pages