The Death of Socrates
In Phaedo, Plato shows the grace of a true courage which can affirm life even in death. Socrates' courage is not that of the martyr, grounded on a belief in divine reward; his is the courage of the philosopher who knows that he does not know. In his self-reflexive striving to be a person who st...
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| Published in: | Philosophical papers (Grahamstown) Vol. 44; no. 1; pp. 39 - 59 |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Routledge
02-01-2015
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | In Phaedo, Plato shows the grace of a true courage which can affirm life even in death. Socrates' courage is not that of the martyr, grounded on a belief in divine reward; his is the courage of the philosopher who knows that he does not know. In his self-reflexive striving to be a person who strives for wisdom, Socrates dissipates the fear of death by dissolving the presumption on which this fear is based, and reframing death as an opportunity for knowledge. Socrates' courage is therefore founded on an epistemic hope that is embodied in the very activity of philosophy. |
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| ISSN: | 0556-8641 1996-8523 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/05568641.2015.1014539 |