Plato: Phaedo · 15 of 44 · tr. Benjamin Jowett
Section 1o
For admitting that she may be generated and created in some other place, and may have existed before entering the human body, why after having entered in and gone out again may she not herself be destroyed and come to an end?
Very true, Simmias, said Cebes; that our soul existed before we were born was the first half of the argument, and this appears to have been proven; that the soul will exist after death as well as before birth is the other half of which the proof is still wanting, and has to be supplied.
But that proof, Simmias and Cebes, has been already given, said Socrates, if you put the two arguments together-I mean this and the former one, in which we admitted that everything living is born of the dead.
For if the soul existed before birth, and in coming to life and being born can be born only from death and dying, must she not after death continue to exist, since she has to be born again?
surely the proof which you desire has been already furnished.
Still I suspect that you and Simmias would be glad to probe the argument further; like children, you are haunted with a fear that when the soul leaves the body, the wind may really blow her away and scatter her; especially if a man should happen to die in stormy weather and not when the sky is calm.
Cebes answered with a smile: Then, Socrates, you must argue us out of our fears-and yet, strictly speaking, they are not our fears, but there is a child within us to whom death is a sort of hobgoblin; him too we must persuade not to be afraid when he is alone with him in the dark.
Socrates said: Let the voice of the charmer be applied daily until you have charmed him away.
And where shall we find a good charmer of our fears, Socrates, when you are gone?
Hellas, he replied, is a large place, Cebes, and has many good men, and there are barbarous races not a few: seek for him among them all, far and wide, sparing neither pains nor money; for there is no better way of using your money.
And you must not forget to seek for him among yourselves too; for he is nowhere more likely to be found.
The search, replied Cebes, shall certainly be made.
And now, if you please, let us return to the point of the argument at which we digressed.
By all means, replied Socrates; what else should I please?
Very good, he said.
Must we not, said Socrates, ask ourselves some question of this sort?-What is that which, as we imagine, is liable to be scattered away, and about which we fear?
and what again is that about which we have no fear?
And then we may proceed to inquire whether that which suffers dispersion is or is not of the nature of soul-our hopes and fears as to our own souls will turn upon that.
That is true, he said.
Now the compound or composite may be supposed to be naturally capable of being dissolved in like manner as of being compounded; but that which is uncompounded, and that only, must be, if anything is, indissoluble.
Yes; that is what I should imagine, said Cebes.
And the uncompounded may be assumed to be the same and unchanging, where the compound is always changing and never the same?
That I also think, he said.
Then now let us return to the previous discussion.
Is that idea or essence, which in the dialectical process we define as essence of true existence-whether essence of equality, beauty, or anything else: are these essences, I say, liable at times to some degree of change?
Themes
◆Apocatastasiscosmology
The doctrine of the periodic restoration or recurrence of all things to their original state after vast cycles.
The passage argues that souls are born from death and continue to exist after death, implying a cyclical return to life.
All passages →◆Cosmic Dualismtheology
Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.
The distinction between the soul's indissoluble nature and the body's potential for dispersion implies an ontological opposition.
All passages →◆Divine Simplicitytheology
The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.
The text defines the soul as 'uncompounded' and 'indissoluble,' aligning with the concept of pure undivided being.
All passages →◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
The dialogue seeks to charmed away fears through argument rather than ritual or faith.
All passages →◆Paradox As Teachingethics
Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.
The argument relies on the paradoxical claim that souls are born from death to prove their continuity after death.
All passages →◆Return To Sourcesoteriology
The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
The text argues that if the soul existed before birth and is born from death, it must continue to exist after death.
All passages →◆Self Knowledgesoteriology
The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.
The dialogue focuses on inquiring whether the soul is liable to dispersion or not, which is central to understanding one's own nature.
All passages →◆Soul Migrationcosmology
The transmigration of the soul across lives.
The passage explicitly discusses the soul being born from death and continuing to exist after death, implying transmigration across lives.
All passages →◆Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
The argument suggests a fundamental continuity of existence that transcends birth and death.
All passages →Related passages · 7 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 14 (part 10)
“When, then, death actually takes place, and separates the soul from the body, the poor soul will then cling to that thread and refuse to let go her hold of it, but all her essences are still deeply immersed in the wrath of God; she is tortu…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul after death and its potential interactions with the living. They explore the idea of the soul's journey, its attachment to earthly matters, and the concept of purification or redemption. The passages share a mystical perspective on the afterlife and the soul's existence beyond physical death.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 286 (part 1)
“Section 2 2.
It can be demonstrated that soul must, necessarily, be of just this nature and that there can be no other soul than such a being, one neither wholly partible but both at once.
If it had the nature of body it would consist of…”
Both passages explore the nature of the soul and its relationship to the body, emphasizing the soul's unity and indivisibility. Plato's Socrates argues for the soul's immortality and indivisibility, while Plotinus discusses the soul's unity and its role in the universe, both concluding that the soul is a singular, indivisible entity.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 312
“Section 25 25. Now comes the question, equally calling for an answer, whether those souls that have quitted the places of earth retain memory of their lives- all souls or some, of all things, or of some things, and, again, for ever or merel…”
Both passages explore the nature of the soul and its relationship with memory and existence. They discuss whether the soul retains memories from past lives and the implications of its existence before and after death, showing a conceptual parallel in their mystical inquiries.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 349 (part 2)
“Here we have to enquire into the nature and being of that vestige of the soul actually present in the living body: if there is truly a soul, then, as a thing never cut off from its total, it will go with soul as soul must: if it is rather t…”
Both passages explore the nature of the soul and its relationship to the body, particularly concerning its existence before birth and after death. They share a philosophical inquiry into the immortality and indestructibility of the soul, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 390
“Section 8 8. C. (11) We come to the theory that this pneuma is an earlier form, one which on entering the cold and being tempered by it develops into soul by growing finer under that new condition. This is absurd at the start, since many li…”
Both passages explore the nature and existence of the soul, discussing its origin, its relationship to the body, and its potential for existence beyond physical life. They both delve into metaphysical arguments about the soul's indestructibility and its higher nature compared to the physical world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 702
“Section 20 20. The difficulty will be raised that God would seem to have existed before thus coming into existence; if He makes Himself, then in regard to the self which He makes He is not yet in being and as maker He exists before this Him…”
Both passages explore the nature of existence and the self, focusing on the idea of a self-existent, eternal principle. Plotinus discusses the unity and activity of God as the First Principle, while Socrates examines the immortality and indissolubility of the soul. Both texts delve into the concept of an eternal, unchanging essence.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|13. Necromancya
“We have declared boldly our opinion, or rather our conviction, as to the possibility of resurrection in certain cases: it remains for us now to complete the revelation of this arcanum and to expose its practice.
Death is a phantom of ignor…”
Both passages explore the concept of the soul's existence after death and the possibility of resurrection or rebirth. They share a conceptual parallel in discussing the nature of the soul, its continuity, and the potential for life after death, albeit within different religious and philosophical frameworks.