Phaedo

by Plato

Overview

Translated with an introduction and commentary by R. Hackforth

A translation with introduction and commentary of Plato's Phaedo. This celebrated dialogue describes the last conversations in prison between Socrates and his friends. Socrates' bearing in the last hours before his execution, the devotion of his friends, the admiration of his jailer, and his reasoned conviction that the human soul survives the death of the body are all portrayed with moving simplicity and admiration.

Professor Hackforth here translated the dialogue for the student and general reader. There is a running commentary on the course of the argument and the meaning of the key Greek terms, and a full introduction to explain the philosophical background and the place of this work among Plato's writings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595470683
Publisher:	NuVision Publications, LLC
Publication date:	01/01/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	158 KB

About the Author

Eva Brann is a tutor and member of the senior faculty at St. John's College, Annapolis, where she has also been dean of academic affairs. She holds an M.A. in Classics and a Ph.D. in Archaeology from Yale University. Her recent books include "The Ways of Naysaying; What, Then, Is Time?" and "The World of the Imagination." She has co-authored several translations with Focus Publishing.

Peter Kalkavage is a Tutor at St. John's College, Annapolis.

Eric Salem is a Tutor at St. Johns College, Annapolis.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
	List of Abbreviations	x
	Introduction
I	The purpose of the dialogue and its position in the Platonic writings	3
II	Stylometric arguments. The transcendent forms	8
III	The nature of the soul	11
IV	The characters	12
V	The arguments for the immortality of the soul	16
VI	Arguments for immortality in other dialogues	19
	Translation and Commentary
I	57A-59C: Introductory conversation	27
II	59C-62C: Socrates as poet. The wickedness of suicide	32
III	62C-64C: The philosopher's readiness to die	39
IV	64C-67B: The philosopher's detachment from the body	44
V	67B-69E: Moral virtue, genuine and spurious	52
VI	69E-72D: The first argument for immortality. The cycle of opposites	58
VII	72E-77A: A complementary argument. The theory of recollection	66
VIII	77A-78B: Combined results of the two preceding arguments. Socrates as charmer	78
IX	78B-80C: Third argument. The kinship of souls and forms	81
X	80C-82D: The after-life of unpurified souls	87
XI	82D-85B: Socrates describes the philosopher's progress and declares his swan-song to be a song of joy	92
XII	85B-88B: Simmias and Cebes explain their doubts	97
XIII	88C-91C: Interlude. A warning against 'misology'	105
XIV	91C-95A: Refutation of Simmias's theory of soul	112
XV	95A-99D: Socrates as student of natural science	121
XVI	99D-102A: The new method of hypothesis	133
XVII	102A-105B: The exclusion of opposites	147
XVIII	105B-107B: The argument concluded. Soul is both deathless and indestructible	158
XIX	107C-110B: Myth of the after-life	167
XX	110B-112E: The splendour of the true earth. The rivers of the underworld	176
XXI	112E-115A: The myth concluded. Its truth and value	182
XXII	115B-118: The last scene	187
	Additional Notes	191
	The Criticisms of Strato	195
	Index of Names	199

Editorial Reviews

"An excellent philosophical commentary on the Phaedo. Lucidly sets out all the salient problems and controversies."—J.M. Dillon, University of Washington

From the Publisher