Three Arguments For The Soul According To Plato

Only after death, a person will be able to obtain the knowledge he had sought during his lifetime. A person will be happier after death, especially philosophers, whose trained souls are not as polluted or impure. Their souls will “join a social and gentle group”, in other words, they will go to a happier destination. Like Socrates, who was expecting to join the Gods, “who are very good masters” , Plato sees no reason to fear death. More importantly, he believes the soul is immortal. He was a dualist, and thus claiming that soul and body are two separate entities. The body is mortal and changes, while the soul is immortal and unchangeable. In his dialogue ‘Phaedo’, Plato presents three arguments for an immortal soul. Firstly, the cyclical argument
Our goal in life is to be free from pain and fear. A life with pleasure, and lacking pain, leads to happiness. He writes that we only need pleasure when we are in pain, due to the absence of pleasure. Thus, when we are not in pain, we do not need pleasure. Believing that death is nothing to us, will result in a life of contentment, because we are relieved from the craving for immortality. For Epicurus, the body is simply matter made up out of particles, which decomposes after death. Nonetheless, it can also be seen as a medium for obtaining pleasure. Plato believes knowledge is virtue, however Epicurus asserts that being virtuous means being happy. As mentioned, happiness is obtained due to an absence of pain, however, can it also be obtained by the body’s capacities? In Epicurus’ eyes, these desires are unnecessary, however, the body provides us with the ability to, for example, communicate, travel, and experience bodily pleasures. For the average human being, these pleasures result in happiness, although this is not what Epicurus meant by reaching
People will attempt to live a virtuous life, in order for the soul to remain happy after death. This believe is easier to accept, as it gives comfort, seeing that death is not the end. However, it seems to be elitist conception of heaven, since philosophers have a reserved seat in heaven. Furthermore, Plato’s view can lead to the culture of heaven and hell, and thus the idea of reward and punishment after death. Punishment or hell will lead to fear of death. Additionally, life after death seems impossible to proof scientifically and therefore seems irrational. This results in a strict separation between science (rational thought) and religion