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Socrates presents his third argument for the immortality of the soul, the so-called Affinity Argument, where he shows that the soul most resembles that which is invisible and divine, and the body resembles that which is visible and mortal. From this, it is concluded that while the body may be seen to exist after death in the form of a corpse ...
Another account of the theory is found in Plato's Meno, although in that case Socrates implies anamnesis (previous knowledge of everything) whereas he is not so bold in Phaedo. The Affinity Argument, explains that invisible, immortal, and incorporeal things are different from visible, mortal, and corporeal things. Our soul is of the former ...
Socrates is known for proclaiming his total ignorance; he used to say that the only thing he was aware of was his ignorance, seeking to imply that the realization of one's ignorance is the first step in philosophizing. Socrates exerted a strong influence on philosophers in later antiquity and has continued to do so in the modern era.
We find out early that Plato himself was absent from the meeting, and there is a small break in Phaedo's discourse from Echecrates that can be seen as a device to (1) remind us it is a philosophical work and (2) let us contemplate the counter-arguments to Socrates Theory of the Soul after he had discussed the argument from affinity.
Meanwhile, in the recollection and affinity arguments, the connection with life is not explicated or used at all. These two arguments present the soul as a knower (i.e., a mind). This is most clear in the affinity argument, where the soul is said to be immortal by virtue of its affinity with the Forms that we observe in acts of cognition.
Socrates believed that philosophy – the love of wisdom – was the most important pursuit above all else. For some, he exemplifies more than anyone else in history the pursuit of wisdom through questioning and logical argument, by examining and by thinking.
Phaedon became a bestseller upon its publication, earning Mendelssohn the nickname “Berlin Socrates” and “German Plato”. [4] [5] Kant criticized Mendelssohn's argument for immortality in the second edition of the Critique of Pure Reason (1787), [6] at B413-15. Commentators disagree over whether Kant's criticism is successful.
A female aulos-player entertains men at a symposium on this Attic red-figure. The Symposium (Ancient Greek: Συμπόσιον) is a Socratic dialogue written by Xenophon in the late 360s B.C. [1] In it, Socrates and a few of his companions attend a symposium (a dinner party at which Greek aristocrats could enjoy entertainment and discussion) hosted by Kallias for the young man Autolykos.