Socrates State Of Nothingness Analysis

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Socrates’ argument at the end of Apology is that death is a blessing in one of two ways. It is either a “state of nothingness” or it is a “migration of the soul.” If death is comprised of nothingness, then it should be looked forward to because it would be a peaceful and restful sleep. On the other hand, if death is a migration of his soul, then Socrates would be able to be in the presence of the great people that have died before him, so he would be able to enjoy the afterlife surrounded by great figures that he could question regarding their wisdom. Socrates’ argument that death is a “state of nothingness” is self-contradictory because something cannot become nothing if it was once something, so his argument that death would comprise

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