The Soul Persists The Soul After Death In Plato's Phaedo

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In Plato’s Phaedo, Socrates presents the opposites argument that aims to explain how the soul persists the body after death. The argument begins with the first premise that simply states, “Everything that has birth, let us see if everything comes into being like that, always opposite and from nowhere else.” This first premise establishes that all things come from their opposite. Furthermore, the second premise indicates that life and death are indeed opposites, which means the soul must persist. This act of persistence of the soul after death allows life to come again. The conclusion makes the connection between the relationship of life and death being opposites and the fact that they are derived from each other. Socrates justifies these claims by stating, “If there is coming to life again, this coming to life would be a being born from the dead into the living”. This quote helps to reiterate the concept that life and death are opposites and must therefore come from one another. Therefore, the opposites argument is used by Socrates to support his claim that the soul prevails after death. Certain …show more content…

This observation raises the awareness about how vicious the cycle of life and death is. Furthermore, how their relationship is ever occurring and seems unlikely to stop. This clarification that Socrates gives presents an even more realistic reason for believing that the soul persists. Because if the soul did not persist, then where would it go if not to replace its opposite? This line is based off of the thought of also assuming that all things in existence will stay in existence. In conclusion, Socrates opposites argument uses familiar examples and logic to justify why the soul persists

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