what are plato's arguments for the immortality of the soul?

Plato’s arguments take for granted that souls exist; he only attempts to prove that they are immortal. “And it is also to be observed that none of such early Christian writers ever sought for support for this doctrine by primary appeal to Scripture, but had recourse instead to arguments similar to those used by Plato” (Froom, 954). The Argument for the Immortality of the Soul from Indestructibility (608c-612a) A note of caution: Plato wrote dialogues not treatises. Overview. These dialogues show the life of the philosophical mind at work: questioning, arguing, speculating, imagining, wondering, struggling, and understanding. Christian ideas were in some ways identical to Neoplatonic ones. Professor Kagan elaborates on the “argument from simplicity” and discusses in detail Plato’s claims that the soul is simple, changeless and therefore indestructible. The dialogue is primarily an argument for the immortality of the soul that Socrates is trying to convince his grief-ridden colleagues, and maybe indeed himself, of in order to prove that his execution is merely the separation of his soul from his body… and not his actual ‘death’. His dialogue Phaedo is mainly concerned with these arguments; Cebes, the person who is in dialogue with Socrates, suggests that perhaps the soul just disappears, like smoke, into nothingness when the body dies, and he asks for some kind of persuasive argument to justify Socrates’ belief in the immortality of the soul. It will become clear that the arguments fall short in proving his theory. The lecture focuses exclusively on one argument for the immortality of the soul from Plato’s Phaedo, namely, “the argument from simplicity.”Plato suggests that in order for something to be destroyed, it must have parts, that is, it must be possible to “take it apart.” Socrates offers four arguments to support the soul’s immortality: The Phaedo stands alongside the Republic as the most philosophically dense dialogue of Plato's middle period. On the first argument for the soul’s immortality (69e-72e) and its relation to the other arguments. One of the doctrines that hold that the soul does exist is called ‘ dualism ’; its name comes from the fact that it postulates that human beings are made up of two substances: body and soul. The Immortal Soul: Ideas of Socrates, Plato & Augustine Further Research. This paper will use as its reference the Phaedo, written by Plato. Lecture 9 - Plato, Part IV: Arguments for the Immortality of the Soul (cont.) Phædo or Phaedo (/ ˈ f iː d oʊ /; Greek: Φαίδων, Phaidōn [pÊ°aídɔːn]), also known to ancient readers as On The Soul, is one of the best-known dialogues of Plato's middle period, along with the Republic and the Symposium. It contains the first extended discussion of the Theory of Forms, four arguments for the immortality of the soul, and strong arguments in favor of the philosophical life. In writing and preaching about the immortal soul doctrine, the early church fathers used as their source, not Scripture, but Plato. Like his third argument Plato’s Final Argument addresses the question of what the relation is between the seemingly divine and immortal ideas and the soul. Overview. Christians found truth in otherwise pagan concepts, such as the immortality of the soul and the immateriality of God. Discusses Plato’s argument concerning equals at 74b7-c6. One of the key elements separating Socrates and Plato from Augustine is the element of Christianity. It has four main issues or arguments which Socrates presents as a way of proving the immortality of the soul. Soul. This will be shown, by analyzing the arguments that Plato used to show this fact. Plato's Four Arguments for the Immortality of the Soul from the Phaedo part 4 4- Argument from Causation through Forms (Form of Life) (102b-107b) Objection: The soul pre-exists, but even if it continues after death, it might not be immortal; it might eventually wear out and perish. Phaedo is one of the great dialogues by Plato that portrays Socrates’ final days and his discussion on the Immortality of the Soul. The philosophical subject of the dialogue is the immortality of the soul. During the paper, I will explain Plato’s view towards the immortality of the soul, which argument of Plato’s is the strongest to defending his claim, then I will talk about three arguments as to why I believe there is an immortal soul within each human being. This is the doctrine of recollection, Plato's conviction that our most basic knowledge comes when we bring back to mind our acquaintance with eternal realities during a previous existence of the soul. An Analytic Outline of Plato's Phaedo Brian B. Clayton THE FIRST THREE IMMORTALITY ARGUMENTS IN THE "PHAEDO" 1. The third argument, known as the Argument from Affinity, distinguishes between those things that are immaterial, invisible, and immortal, and those things that are material, visible, and perishable. So whenever soul takes possession of a body, it always brings life with it? to fully establish the immortality of the soul, and is considered by Plato to be unobjectionable and certain. In the Phaedo, Plato offers four arguments for the immorality of the soul.. As a proof that the soul persists after death, Socrates offers a cyclical argument. immortality of the soul, both Plato and Hume must rely on analogy. In this work, Phaedo tells us about Socrates’ final days, who has been convicted to … Is this always so? Plato - A Dualist View Dualism - Plato was a dualist, meaning he believed in two separate entities when it came to body & soul Plato suggested that the soul is immortal while the body is mortal, at the end of life the soul is set free from the body The soul's destination is… So Socrates launches his most elaborate and final argument for the immortality of the soul, which concludes that since life belongs to soul essentially, the soul must be deathless — that is, immortal. Matthen, M. “Forms and Participants in Plato’s Phaedo.” Noûs 18:2 (1984) 281-297. Something cannot become its opposite while… ... Christians tried to reconcile the dualism of Plato – the belief in a soul distinct from the body – with the ideas of Aristotle. Plato’s 1st argument for the Immortality of the Soul from opposites and Theory of Reincarnation Plato’s Phaedo is a dialog between Phaedo, Cebes and Simmias where Socrates gives some arguments for the immortality of the soul. Human beings seem always to have had some notion of a shadowy double that survives the death of the body. Plato would have us believe that the soul is immortal. Plato was a pupil of Socrates, after the death of Socrates he went on to rebuild his dialogues, these dialogues recounted the beliefs Socrates had in regards to immortality of the soul. Plato's final argument in Phaedo for the immortality of the soul is one of the most interesting topics of all time. This is the fifth and final post on Plato's arguments for the immortality of the soul. Death (PHIL 176)The discussion of Plato's Phaedo continues, presenting more arguments for the existence and immortality of the soul. 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