In PHAEDO written by Plato, he explains what occurred moments before his teacher; Socrates was put to death by the state of Athens. The last day that Socrates was in prison he had a conversation with his students about what it means to live like philosopher, a life-style that depends on a very particular understanding of the soul and its connection with the body (Midterm handout). The soul, Socrates asserts, is immortal, and the philosopher spends his life training it to detach itself from the needs of the body (Sparknotes). There is also the concept of the realm of becoming and the realm of being. Plato sees the realm of being to be consist of things that never change and the realm of becoming to consist of things that change and are not stable.
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Hence why the body is considered bad and the soul considered good. Our senses are part of the realm of becoming and Socrates says that our senses are not accurate and that they are inferior (PHAEDO, 102). He also explains that the soul reasons best when none of these senses (sight, hearing) troubles it, nor pain nor pleasure, but when it is most by itself taking leave of the body and as far as possible having no contact or association with it in its search for reality (102). This is why one cannot achieve knowledge, because our senses are not clear or precise and our body deceives our soul from the truth. The soul must have as little as possible to do with the body as it aspires to wisdom and knowledge of ultimate reality. It is in this respect that the philosopher dishonors the body, for his soul runs away from the body and desires to be alone and by …show more content…
Socrates explains that by exchanging pleasures for pleasures, pains for pains and fears for fears, the greater for the less like coins, but that the only valid currency for which all these things should be exchanged is wisdom. Wisdom is part of the realm of being, and Socrates says that with wisdom one can have real courage, moderation and justice, which are all part of the realm of being (the unchanging) (PHAEDO, 106). Without wisdom, such exchanges for one another are only an illusory appearance of what virtue really is. A man must not resent death because that shows that they are not lovers of wisdom but of the body, which possesses our passions and one can get swept off one’s feet. A true philosopher is one who ought not to place the highest value on the pleasures of the body, such as eating and drinking or the acquisition of costly raiment. He cares for these things only to the extent that they are necessary to meet nature's needs. The soul fares better after death and when it is not dwelling in the body. He explains that death is nothing more than the separation of soul and body. He who has lived as a true philosopher has reason to be of good cheer when he is about to die, and that after death he may hope to receive the greatest good in the other world (CliffsNotes). Hence why the soul should be the master of the body and not its
Hence why the body is considered bad and the soul considered good. Our senses are part of the realm of becoming and Socrates says that our senses are not accurate and that they are inferior (PHAEDO, 102). He also explains that the soul reasons best when none of these senses (sight, hearing) troubles it, nor pain nor pleasure, but when it is most by itself taking leave of the body and as far as possible having no contact or association with it in its search for reality (102). This is why one cannot achieve knowledge, because our senses are not clear or precise and our body deceives our soul from the truth. The soul must have as little as possible to do with the body as it aspires to wisdom and knowledge of ultimate reality. It is in this respect that the philosopher dishonors the body, for his soul runs away from the body and desires to be alone and by …show more content…
Socrates explains that by exchanging pleasures for pleasures, pains for pains and fears for fears, the greater for the less like coins, but that the only valid currency for which all these things should be exchanged is wisdom. Wisdom is part of the realm of being, and Socrates says that with wisdom one can have real courage, moderation and justice, which are all part of the realm of being (the unchanging) (PHAEDO, 106). Without wisdom, such exchanges for one another are only an illusory appearance of what virtue really is. A man must not resent death because that shows that they are not lovers of wisdom but of the body, which possesses our passions and one can get swept off one’s feet. A true philosopher is one who ought not to place the highest value on the pleasures of the body, such as eating and drinking or the acquisition of costly raiment. He cares for these things only to the extent that they are necessary to meet nature's needs. The soul fares better after death and when it is not dwelling in the body. He explains that death is nothing more than the separation of soul and body. He who has lived as a true philosopher has reason to be of good cheer when he is about to die, and that after death he may hope to receive the greatest good in the other world (CliffsNotes). Hence why the soul should be the master of the body and not its