Phaedo Reflection Essay

The knowledge that is not within us is therefore ontologically greater than us. Body’s sensations are present before birth and learning is recollection. One has to work extremely hard through contemplation and disciplines to perceive the forms in the present. Socrates stated that one has knowledge of these forms such as equality and beauty before birth but when born in this life, all knowledge is lost and requires relearning through recollection. The theory of recollection implies that active intelligent souls must have existed before birth, for it to lose something at birth one must have had it before, thus to have any knowledge of the past or present requires the soul to actually exist. Simmias convinced with the theory of recollection, …show more content…
The Crito dialogue discusses the central idea around living and dying based on accordance with the principles, and one should not retaliate evil for evil. The life of wickedness is easy to pursue, but is weighted heavily on the soul after the physical body dies. The Phaedo dialogue is unique and presents Socrates views on the immortality of the soul. The importance is placed on the theory of opposites, recollection and affinity. Through Socrates voice of reason we see the importance placed upon a life of a philosopher, which is stressed and discussed significantly in the dialogue. Death is the separation of the soul from the body and a philosopher tries to master his body and deny its urges. Socrates asked Crito to “owe a cock to Asclepius,” the god of doctors and medicine (118a). With his last breath, Socrates was certain that death was a cure to the limitations of the body. Plato ended the dialogue with one of the most moving death scenes, Socrates drank the hemlock with joy knowing there is no drink that can numb his soul and he is regarded as “the best of that generation we’d ever encountered, the wisest, too, and the most just”