Teaching and the Decline of Liberty at Credulity and Curiosity in A ...
Teaching and the Decline of Liberty at Credulity and Curiosity in A ...
Teaching and the Decline of Liberty at Credulity and Curiosity in A ...
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Man <strong>and</strong> N<strong>at</strong>ure <strong>in</strong> Pl<strong>at</strong>o's Phaedo<br />
K. L. Yeager<br />
Boston College<br />
"Indeed not only this, O Simmias,"<br />
said Socr<strong>at</strong>es, "but also <strong>the</strong> first hypo<strong>the</strong>ses, even<br />
if <strong>the</strong>y are certa<strong>in</strong> to you, still ought to be exam<strong>in</strong>ed more clearly; <strong>and</strong> if you go<br />
through <strong>the</strong>m sufficiently, as I th<strong>in</strong>k, you will follow <strong>the</strong> argument to <strong>the</strong> gre<strong>at</strong>est ex<br />
tent possible to a human be<strong>in</strong>g to underst<strong>and</strong>; <strong>and</strong> if this itself becomes clear, you will<br />
not search fur<strong>the</strong>r."<br />
Phaedo, 107b<br />
The Phaedo is <strong>the</strong> Pl<strong>at</strong>onic dialogue th<strong>at</strong> rel<strong>at</strong>es <strong>the</strong> events <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> day <strong>of</strong><br />
Socr<strong>at</strong>es'<br />
de<strong>at</strong>h <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> convers<strong>at</strong>ion which supposedly took place between<br />
Socr<strong>at</strong>es <strong>and</strong> his companions on th<strong>at</strong> day. The arguments conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Phaedo are focused almost wholly on <strong>the</strong> soul. The first part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dialogue pro<br />
vides three major arguments th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> soul must always exist. The second part<br />
supplies a description <strong>of</strong> Socr<strong>at</strong>es'<br />
gener<strong>at</strong>ed, <strong>and</strong> perishes.<br />
own search for <strong>the</strong> causes <strong>of</strong> wh<strong>at</strong> exists, is<br />
In some ways, <strong>the</strong> Phaedo is <strong>the</strong> counterpart to ano<strong>the</strong>r dialogue, <strong>the</strong> Apology<br />
<strong>of</strong> Socr<strong>at</strong>es; it could be said to be a second apology,<br />
given by Socr<strong>at</strong>es here are a response to his<br />
or defense. The arguments<br />
companion<br />
dem<strong>and</strong>s th<strong>at</strong> he should<br />
provide a defense <strong>of</strong> his apparent will<strong>in</strong>gness to separ<strong>at</strong>e himself from <strong>the</strong>m<br />
through de<strong>at</strong>h. One might reasonably expect this second apology to go deeper<br />
than <strong>the</strong> first apology which was made publicly to <strong>the</strong> whole mass <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> A<strong>the</strong><br />
nian citizens. When Socr<strong>at</strong>es was called upon to justify his activities before his<br />
fellow citizens he defended himself by argu<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>at</strong> he was educ<strong>at</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m. He<br />
made people th<strong>in</strong>k seriously about virtue, he said; <strong>in</strong> essence, he required <strong>the</strong><br />
A<strong>the</strong>nians to take care <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir souls. In <strong>the</strong> Phaedo, Socr<strong>at</strong>es speaks to those<br />
who have already heeded <strong>the</strong> advice he gave to <strong>the</strong> A<strong>the</strong>nian populace to pay <strong>at</strong><br />
tention to virtue, to learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> wisdom, to one's soul.<br />
The Phaedo has little <strong>in</strong> it which is expressly political <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> manner, for <strong>in</strong><br />
stance, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Republic or <strong>the</strong> Laws. It is a strange, esoteric dialogue all about <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>teraction between body <strong>and</strong> soul (<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> human be<strong>in</strong>gs, vovq, or m<strong>in</strong>d). It does<br />
not explicitly ask such questions as "wh<strong>at</strong> is justice,"<br />
"wh<strong>at</strong> is <strong>the</strong> best<br />
Still <strong>the</strong> discussion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> soul is vast <strong>in</strong> its implic<strong>at</strong>ions <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>deed it is hard to<br />
imag<strong>in</strong>e th<strong>at</strong> one could give answers to <strong>the</strong>se particular political questions with<br />
out thoroughly underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> causal rel<strong>at</strong>ionship between body <strong>and</strong> soul <strong>and</strong><br />
m<strong>in</strong>d.<br />
Both political <strong>and</strong> philosophic discourse are ultim<strong>at</strong>ely concerned with issues<br />
<strong>of</strong> caus<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> order. Pure philosophy is concerned with such m<strong>at</strong>ters <strong>in</strong> a<br />
politically dis<strong>in</strong>terested way; political <strong>the</strong>ory becomes <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> deb<strong>at</strong>e about<br />
caus<strong>at</strong>ion because it is concerned with justice <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>refore with freedom. The<br />
concept <strong>of</strong> freedom, as we human be<strong>in</strong>gs know it, presupposes some split<br />
regim