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1 - The Characters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2023

David Ebrey
Affiliation:
Universitat de Barcelona
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Summary

The Phaedo portrays Socrates in a long discussion with members of his inner circle, which leads the dialogue to portray a very different sort of conversation from those found in most of Plato’s other dialogues. The chapter begins by considering why Plato makes Phaedo the narrator of such a significant event: the death of Socrates. The chapter also discusses Socrates’ main interlocutors, Simmias and Cebes. I argue that both are skilled, both make mistakes, and both need to be cautious lest they fall into misology. They are sympathetic to a variety of Pythagorean and Orphic ideas, but are by no means committed followers of Philolaus, a Pythagorean. The end of the chapter turns to the portrayal of Socrates, arguing that Socrates seeks not to be treated as an authority and that the Phaedo presents Socrates’ questions and views as naturally emerging from those in the Socratic dialogues.

Type
Chapter
Information
Plato's Phaedo
Forms, Death, and the Philosophical Life
, pp. 12 - 27
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • The Characters
  • David Ebrey, Universitat de Barcelona
  • Book: Plato's <I>Phaedo</I>
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108787475.002
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • The Characters
  • David Ebrey, Universitat de Barcelona
  • Book: Plato's <I>Phaedo</I>
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108787475.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Characters
  • David Ebrey, Universitat de Barcelona
  • Book: Plato's <I>Phaedo</I>
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108787475.002
Available formats
×