Socratic analogies and arguments for the soul's immortality in Platonic dialogues

¶ … Dialogues of Plato

Discuss the following three analogies, tying them in with Socrates' life and mission: a) Gadfly (from "Apology") b) Midwife (implied in Meno) c) Stingray (from Meno).

In Ancient Greece, one of the most preeminent philosophers of the society was Socrates. Unfortunately, he was also critical of the social structure of his culture and thus subject to legal consequences for his criticisms. Finally, the government put Socrates on trial, he was found guilty, and executed via poisoned drink. These three incidences, the gadfly from "Apology," the midwife in "Meno," and the stingray in "Meno" are equitable with the life and teachings of Socrates.

The "Apology" tells the story of the trail of Socrates and the various people who testify to his being a danger to the society and guilty of corrupting Athenian youth. In his defense, Socrates speaks and makes it clear that his accusers are fools and their so-called evidence all based on nothing. Yet, he is still found guilty. Through these events, he speaks to the court and compares himself to a gadfly on the hide of a horse. A gadfly seems nothing more than a pest, an irritant stinging the skin. But, Socrates says, the gadfly demand attention. He goes around the town, stinging people and buzzing in their ears, forcing them to listen to him and to heed what he has to say. Just as the sting of a gadfly gets people to slap their arms, the work of Socrates forces people into some kind of action. His mission is to make people think and act.

In Plato's "Meno," the character of the title and Socrates sit about and discuss the concept of virtue and whether or not virtue can be taught to people. The midwife that is discussed in the debate is Socrates. A midwife functions as a go-between the woman and her birth. The midwife helps the woman bring her child into the world and in so doing, helps that woman and her child to survive the process. Socrates functions as a midwife to education and information. In his discussion with the slave of Meno, Socrates is able to explain geometry to a man who has no formal education. This allows him to illustrate his belief both that everyone is capable of learning and that the reason for this has to do with the immortality of the soul and knowledge that has already been acquired before the human being was born.

Also in "Meno," the character compares Socrates to a torpedo fish which stuns its victims. The philosopher responds by calling saying that a stingray numbs itself in trying to make others numb. This is Socrates belief system in a nutshell. Human beings try to influence others and in the process cannot help but affect themselves. Therefore, they must have knowledge of the topic in which they speak, such as virtue. If a man tries to teach of virtue, then he too will likely become more virtuous.

2. Critically discuss any one argument for the immortality of the soul (from Phaedo) b. Critically discuss what Socrates means when he says the philosopher spends his life practicing dying.

In the dialogue entitled "Phaedo," Plato writes a dialogue as if Socrates were speaking to a group of listeners during his last hours on Earth. In the piece, he expresses his beliefs on the immortality of the soul. Through the piece, Socrates makes four arguments which are designed to support his theory. First there is the "cyclical argument" which is that since the human body is mortal and can perish, then the soul must be a formal opposite. Just like matter cannot be either created or destroyed, only changed, so too the human soul cannot either begin or end; it simply changes forms. The second argument is the "theory of recollection" which states that at the moment of birth, people already have some knowledge, such as how to breath and how to cry and how to relate to mother and father. The only logical reason for this prenatal knowledge, according to Socrates, is if the soul is older than the physical body and has already been through a life before. Thirdly, Socrates argues that there are two types of things which exist: the tangible and seeable components of the world and the more ethereal, invisible aspects. Just because they are not visible, does not mean that these things do not exist. The final argument in favor of the presence of the soul is that it participates in the life process. Since to exist, something must be temporary and something infinite, it is only logical that the soul not only exists, but it also eternal.