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Section 106

"What about this, Cebes? If the Uneven were necessarily imperishable, would not three be imperishable?" "How could it not be?" "And if the Un-hot were necessarily imperishable, whenever anyone brought heat to snow, the snow would retreat intact and unmelted? For it could not perish, nor could it stay and admit the heat." "True," he said. "In the same way, I suppose, if the Un-coolable were imperishable, when something cold approached fire, the fire would never go out or perish, but would retreat safe." "Necessarily." "Must we not say the same about the Immortal? If the Immortal is also imperishable, it is impossible for the soul to perish when death approaches it. From what has been said, it will not admit death, nor will it be dead, just as three will not be even, nor will the Odd itself; nor will fire be cold, nor the heat in the fire. 'But what prevents the Odd from perishing when the Even approaches,' someone might say, 'and becoming Even instead?' To him we could not argue that it does not perish, for the Uneven is not imperishable. If we had agreed it was imperishable, we could easily argue that when the Even approaches, the Odd and the three depart and flee. And we could argue the same about fire, heat, and the rest. Right?" "Certainly." "So now, concerning the Immortal: if we agree that it is imperishable, then the soul would be imperishable as well as immortal. If not, we need another argument." "But there is no need of another on that account," he said. "For what else could escape destruction if the Immortal, being everlasting, admits destruction?"