The Superiority Of The Soul Essay

Submitted By Jane-Jiang
Words: 1356
Pages: 6
Open Document
Student: Jane Jiang
Student Number: 1418234
TA: Rich

“The Superiority of The Soul”

In Phaedo Plato, famous philosopher Socrates spoke about his theory of the soul during the morning of his execution. Socrates believed that the soul existed prior to one’s birth and that it will still exist after one’s death; this is meant that all philosophers needed to avoid the sensual pleasures of life and focus their minds on their souls. Socrates stated that a true philosopher knows that the soul is superior and enslaves the body. His explanations developed a non-negotiable and versatile argument to view the concepts of death and the soul. Socrates’ was able to use philosophy’s knowledge as a way to escape death. In this essay I will argue that through Socrates’ unique arguments of the soul and death, philosophy can be seen as worthwhile and benefiting to learn.

One of Socrates’ arguments stated that the soul is superior to the body of the human because the soul provides wisdom and guidance for the body. Socrates’ discussed this with his friends Simmias, Cebes, and Crito when they came to visit him on the day of his execution. The friends came with questions surrounding Socrates’ conception of the soul. He started by admitting there was an amount of contradiction in his stand but he argued that there were no evidence or arguments disapproving his explanation either. “The real philosopher has reason to be of good cheer when he is about to die.” He says, “the true votary of philosophy... is always pursuing death and dying.” (cpk 47). This quotation expressed that a true philosopher will not hold any high value for the pleasures of the body, a true philosopher only satisfies the necessary natural needs of the body and nothing more. Also, philosophers should not fear the approach of death or they would not be a lover of wisdom but just a lover of the body. The major concern of life and death was the soul, the soul was superior to the body and was considered the master of the body. The soul can exist on its’ own but the body relied on the soul to function. Socrates explained that wisdom comes from intellect and our senses can trick us from the truth. If the soul is able to pre-exist before the body is created, then it should still exist after the body is gone. He also used this argument to justify why death should not be fear and that the soul truly does exist. True existence comes from the process of thinking and cannot aspire from the senses the body provides. Therefore, he believed that the soul should be seen as superior, while the body should be seen as the slave.

Socrates also argued that the body is just a state of being and has no use, while the soul is the central control system of the human being. He expressed that the body has no wisdom, it only desires biological pleasures but the soul is able to desire wisdom and knowledge. The body experiences the pleasures through the human senses and Socrates said these pleasures were useless and deceiving. “I will tell you," he said. The lovers of knowledge are conscious that the soul was simply fastened and glued to the body” (cpk 62). In this quotation Socrates explains to Cebes that the soul is only attached to the body and even without the body, the soul can still exist; it finds no purpose or use for the body’s functions. Socrates also believed the body was not only useless but also harmful because it mixed the soul with evil. The body creates feelings and senses such as hate, jealousy, ignorance and many more. Socrates claimed those feelings and senses were poisonous to the soul. He said that the senses and feelings that come from our body distracted and deceived us from seeing the truth of life. Only after the body dies can the soul be at its purest state. He believed that true philosophers should recognize the useless of the body. They should not fear death because even when the body dies, they will still have their soul. Death is a good thing because it releases the soul
Show More

Related Documents: The Superiority Of The Soul Essay

The Descent Into Hell Research Paper

his body remained in the tomb and his soul descended to hell. While In hell as we can see in the Descent into Hell icon, Jesus is seen with souls of people who had died before. He is the center of attention, we can see people trying to reach out their hands to him because they take him as their savior and they are all coming to him for redemption. Jesus went to hell to preach the Gospel as he used to do before he was killed. This was an opportunity for the souls in hell to repent and have their sins…

Words 254 - Pages 2

The Grandmother In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

“It isn’t a soul in this green world of God’s that you can trust” (680 O’Connor), as said by the Grandmother of Flannery O’Connor’s short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find. This story provides a snippet in the life of a Grandmother, her adult son, and his family on a road trip. This story illustrates the relationships between the dysfunctional family members, and their encounter with an escaped murderer. In this story, the grandmother portrays a very put-together, wise, and altogether superior older…

Words 946 - Pages 4

Kelly Gang History

here to talk to you, on this annual Australia Week Celebration about a famous movie from down under, “The Sapphires.” “The Sapphires,” is set in 1968 during the Vietnam War, and follows the story of four indigenous women’s journey to Vietnam to sing “soul” music for the troops. However, the girls are not without their struggles fighting for acceptance and constantly facing ridicule and racism from the “White” Australians. Throughout the film various representations of Australia are constructed in particular…

Words 1012 - Pages 5

Comparison Of Civil Disobedience And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil Disobedience was written by Author Henry David Thoreau and published in 1849. Letter from Birmingham jail was written by Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in 1963. I will be comparing their two works. Author Henery David Thoreau and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr were like each other because they were fighting for justice, constitutional rights and protested. They were different because Thoreau and King were from different times and they fought for different things that was currently…

Words 281 - Pages 2

Black People Essay

have, however, learned about black history, and I have great respect for it. 2. I believe that nothing would change in regards to the respect for black people. However, I believe that black history month represents the hard work of many great souls and should be preserved. Since it had developed a tradition already, there is no way to exclude it, anyways. 3. No, the function of these special months is to learn from and honor the great work that people did through history, but the American…

Words 315 - Pages 2

One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

to escape work duties in jail, McMurphy contends insanity and is then sent to a ward for those who are mentally unstable. Once here, McMurphy both preserves and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the onerous Nurse Ratched, who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inpatients. McMurphy and the other inpatients gather as one to make a rebellious position against the frightful Nurse. Unlike Nurse Ratched, McMurphy respects and values the shine of individual human beings…

Words 312 - Pages 2

PREzi outline Essay

However, for your more direct, relationships, you can fix and better them using the thoughts and preaching of Krishna given to us through the Gita in your daily life. In today’s world, the majority of relationships are tainted with fear, anger, and superiority. If we look at the Gita as a manual, or a blueprint for designing a true loving relationship, we can wash away these unwanted qualities from our relationships, and experience true divine relationships. These days, I feel that the largest obstacle…

Words 660 - Pages 3

Essay about Culture Differences

after a long and stressful day, fill up your hot tub with warm water, light some candles and just lay in the hot tub and relax. Even if just for an hour, not depend on others or listen to different kind of problems can be really good for your body and soul. From the book, the author explains that “Americans have great difficulty understanding people who always want to be with another person, who dislike being alone”; however, that is the typical Swedish way of thinking. The typical Swedish girl would…

Words 689 - Pages 3

Essay on Symposium: Democracy and Bloom

The Symposium The soul needs to ask the hard questions about life such as man’s role in nature, and address them. The best way to accomplish that is by doing it with people who have the same longings, in a friendly, educated, civilized, yet natural environment like the symposium of the Greeks. Plato and Socrates were looking for answers together, despite all the political and cultural turmoil that was going around them, such as an inevitable war and the decline of their Greek empire. Open discussion…

Words 3909 - Pages 16

Soul By Soul: Life Inside The Antebellum Slave Market

Rachel Vecchio Meredith May Soul By Soul: Life Inside The Antebellum Slave Market By: Walter Johnson The novel Soul by Soul: Life inside the antebellum slave market, by Walter Johnson, explains the slave trade market in tremendous detail. Walter Johnson elaboration of the Antebellum, meaning before the civil war, period allows the reader to explore the depths of the slave trade and have a grasp on how intense and dependent people of the nineteenth century were on the slave market. This book reveals…

Words 927 - Pages 4