Socrates and the Afterlife
PHI/105
February 12, 2014
Socrates and the Afterlife
During the last hours of his life, Socrates is asked about how he feels about death. Because of his believe that the soul is immortal, Socrates tries to explain why he doesn’t fear death and how his death with free his soul to obtain more knowledge of the truth of things. Socrates believes that death frees the soul of the senses that hold the soul back from finding the true meaning of the light that holds meaning of truth. “Death is the separation of soul and body” (University of Phoenix, 1999 p. 6). From this Socrates states he does not fear death because as a philosopher he will be able to obtain the answers he was able to obtain during his life.
Socrates believes the soul is immortal and when death occurs the soul either goes into a dreamless sleep or reborn into another body. According to Phaedo, Socrates states, “The circle of nature is not complete unless the living come from the dead as well as pass to them” (University of Phoenix, 1999, p. 6). Socrates believes the soul will either sleep dreamlessly until it is ready to be put into another body or if being a philosopher like himself and has sought true knowledge and refrain from worldly pleasures the soul will go to the gods where true wisdom lies. Socrates that only the gods can reveal true wisdom.
What Socrates is trying to convey about death and the soul is a noble idea, but it relies on the belief the humans have an immortal soul and that this soul goes on to a new place or new body upon the death of the person. As there is no way to prove this without dying and no one has really came back from the death to tell us what happens after death, (near death experiences excluded as we do not know if these people really saw something), it is difficult to agree or disagree with Socrates views. Although his concept would be a comforting mechanism for someone that is dying, there is no proof of his views and...