Phaedo Review

Phaedo By Plato 

            …opposites from opposites but not Opposites in Opposites

While a dying man is wont to mourn his impending death , Socrates hoped for a better future in death. For his whole life he had been practicing philosophy with the hope of abstaining from bodily afflictions that make us cling to the unreality of this world. We must strive to keep our soul free from any kind of greed and live in moderation.

Phaedo is an edifying dialogue between Socrates and his friends, which is later, narrated by Phaedo. The scene is set just before the death punishment of Socrates and yet all those present are engaged in an intellectual conversation rather than a temperamental one. Socrates argues that soul is immortal and indestructible; it is exists before the body and remains after the body. The soul is sent to the underworld in a direction that depends on the piousness or wickedness of the soul. His friends provide some counterarguments but Socrates is successfully able to address them and reinstate his arguments. After the rational conversation however his friends are no longer able to contain themselves and break down into tears. This shows that though human beings might agree and accept the inconsequential existence of the body they cannot forego their temperaments. Socrates urges them to practice what they have discussed and not just agree with it. Till the very end, Socrates stands by his convictions and admonishes people to stand by them if they have agreed to them.

This text is a must read for anyone who wants to get a consistent perspective towards death.