QuestionJournal IIJournal II (Journal for Modules 3 an

Journal II

Journal II (Journal for Modules 3 and 4)

Module 3 Assignments

Read Plato: The Last Days of Socrates

“Phaedo-Wisdom and the Soul”

“Socrates about to Die”

1. Click on Module 3.

2. Click on GO TO arrow and this will open the drop down box.

3. Click on Reading/Journaling. This will give you the following information:

You need to include a response to at leastthreeof the questions,(seeGuiding Questions).
4. Click on each of theGuiding Questions.

You need to include a response to at leastthreeof the questions,(see Guiding Questions page).

Phaedo, Plato is sometimes interpreted as being concerned primarily with presenting arguments for the immortality of the soul. He is perhaps better read as providing argumentsagainstthose who have a materialistic view of the human person. Plato believes he can show that materialists have misunderstood the true nature of the human being.

Some interpret Plato as being negative about the body. But keep in mind the times in which he lived. The Greeks emphasized warfare, physical training, and physical beauty. They typically (as in the Homeric epics) saw life after death as being a shadowy existence without any real awareness. This is the context, and Plato has to state his case strongly in order to make any real headway against the prevailing view.

1. The setting: a religious vow to Apollo is being fulfilled (do you recall who was “the god” of theApology?) and Socrates “seemed quite happy” (117). Socrates has been following a recurring dream’s injunction to “practice … ‘music’ (creative material inspired by the Muses, i.e., the arts).” How does Plato’s setting lay the groundwork for his spiritual and positive view of the afterlife?

2. Why does Socrates resist the idea that suicide is acceptable (121-122)? Remember that he himself will take the noble option of drinking hemlock as punishment, and this “necessary circumstance” is an exception (122). The Orphic religion had a saying (soma sema) that the “body” was a “prison.” Socrates doesn’t adopt a punishment-view of embodiment, but he does describe earthly life as a “lock-up” and our being “in the care of the gods, one of their possessions” (121). The biblical tradition is comfortable with “servant” and “slave” as terms for one’s relationship with God (there are other terms too, of course, such as “friend”). Might Muslim suicide bombers be able to adjust this language to fit their purposes? (Islammeans “submission” in Arabic.)

3. How is thinking a kind of preparation for death? (124-127). Some of this might sound strange, but recall when you are trying to concentrate on a difficult task, and keep in mind that by “body” here he is including psychological processes: perceptions, desires, aversions, etc. Or you might recall the training it takes to learn how to practice Buddhist or Hindu forms of meditation. In these cases theattentionhas to be developed, and that is a crucial element of what Plato here is calling “soul.” If attention is at the core of the human person, what effect does our modern society have on attention (think of the media, the Internet, cell phones, iPods, advertising, etc.). Does society try to enhance our attention or weaken it and direct it to

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