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Plato's Theory Of Phaedo

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The Phaedo is Plato’s last written dialogue among four chronicling the final days of Socrates, in this dialogue Plato documents the very last moments of Socrates death in his prison cell. Socrates is incarcerated due to a guilty verdict by the Athenian courts for corrupting the youth through the influence of his philosophies which are contrary to that of the Athenian state and sentenced to death. Plato’s documentation of Socrates death is based on the first-hand account of Phaedo who is narrating the events to Echecrates in the town of Phlius. According to Phaedo, Socrates was surrounded by devoted friends who upon entering Socrates cell find that he had just been released from his chains and is composing a hymn to honor Apollo. The hymn provoked a philosophical conversation in which Socrates proclaims not to fear death. Socrates says he is certain that the soul is immortal and looks forward to the enlightenment achieved after death. Socrates then provides four theories in an attempt to prove the existence of an eternal soul: the Argument from Opposites, the Theory of Recollection, Argument from Affinity, and the Argument from Forms. Socrates theories are logical and wise but do not prove the existence of a soul. His first theory is the Argument from …show more content…

The theories presented seem to have already been established by Socrates long before the day of his death. The Argument from Opposites comes across as an acknowledgment of a natural balance in nature and does not prove we have a soul, only that humans have been living and dying for a very long time. The Theory of Recollection could easily be seen as proof of varying intelligence, which is why some people have a better natural grasp of certain concepts than others, they are just smarter. The Theory of Forms leaves one questioning each existences originality, I think humans are capable of achieving perfection in this

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