Phaedo. I wish now to explain to you, my judges, the
reason why I think a man who has really spent his life in philosophy is
naturally of good courage
when he is to die, and has strong hopes that when he is dead
he will attain the greatest blessings in that other land. So I will try to tell
you, Simmias, and Cebes, how this would be.
Other people are likely not to be aware that those who pursue
philosophy aright study nothing but dying and being dead. Now if this is true,
it would be absurd to be eager for nothing but this all their lives, and then to
be troubled when that came for which they had all along been eagerly
practicing.
And Simmias laughed and
said, By Zeus,
Socrates, I don’t feel
much like laughing just now, but you made me laugh. For I think the multitude,
if they heard what you just said about the philosophers, would say you were
quite right, and our people at home would agree entirely with you that
philosophers desire death, and they would add that they know very well that the
philosophers deserve it.
And they
would be speaking the truth, Simmias, except in the matter of knowing very well.
For they do not know in what way the real philosophers desire death, nor in what
way they deserve death, nor what kind of a death it is.
Let us then,
said he, speak with one another,
paying no further attention to them. Do we think there is such a thing as
death?
Certainly,
replied
Simmias.We believe, do we not, that
death is the separation of the soul from the body, and that the state of being
dead is the state in which the body is separated from the soul and exists alone
by itself and the soul is separated from the body and exists alone by itself? Is
death anything other than this?
No,
it is this,
said he.Now, my friend,
see if you agree with me;
for, if you do, I
think we shall get more light on our subject. Do you think a philosopher would
be likely to care much about the so-called pleasures, such as eating and
drinking?
By no means,
Socrates,
said Simmias.How about
the pleasures of love?
Certainly
not.
Well, do you think such a
man would think much of the other cares of the body—I mean such as the
possession of fine clothes and shoes and the other personal adornments? Do you
think he would care about them
or despise
them, except so far as it is necessary to have them?
I think the true philosopher would despise them,
he replied.Altogether, then, you think
that such a man would not devote himself to the body, but would, so far as he
was able, turn away from the body and concern himself with the
soul?
Yes.