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Platos19ProofsoftheImmortalityoftheHumanSoul|ChristianPlatonism

ChristianPlatonism
RediscoveringAncientWisdom

Platos19ProofsoftheImmortalityoftheHumanSoul
withonecomment

Ismanimmortal,orishenot?Ifheisnot,allourdisputesaremereamusements,ortrialsofskill.Inthis
case,truth,reason,religion,whichgiveourdiscoursessuchpompandsolemnity,aremereempty
sound,withoutanymeaninginthem.Butifmanisimmortal,itwillbehovehimtobeveryserious
abouteternalconsequences;or,inotherwords,tobetrulyreligious.
~EdwardYoung,NightThoughts
Art:WilliamBlake,TheSpiritofPlatounfoldshisWorldstoMiltoninContemplation.
NearlierarticleproposedthecatalogingofPlatosvariousproofsfortheimmortalityof
thehumansoul.Afaireorttosurveyearlierliteraturehasfailedtouncoverprevious
systematica empts;therelativescarcityofstudiesonthistopicgenerallyisunfortunate
(andnotali lepuzzling)givenhowcentralthesoulsimmortalityisforPlatos
philosophy.
AsPlatosproofsaremanyandsubtleweshallproceedincrementally,addingli lebyli letothe
presentarticle,untilsomethinglikeathoroughsurveyisaccomplished.
Tobeginwith,somegeneralpoints.
https://catholicgnosis.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/platosvariousproofsoftheimmortalityofthehumansoul/
First,wemayinthiscontextdistinguishbetweentwokindsofproofs:(1)logicalargumentsand(2)

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First,wemayinthiscontextdistinguishbetweentwokindsofproofs:(1)logicalargumentsand(2)
experientialdemonstrations.Byanargumentwemeanasetofpropositionsorpremises,which,byformal
rulesoflogic,implyadeniteconclusion;orasetofpropositionsthattogetherincreasetheprobability
thataconclusionistrue(i.e.,aprobabilisticargument.)
Byademonstrationwemeanana emptbyPlatotobringtoourconsciousawarenessaninsightby
meansotherthanlogicalargument.InmanycaseswithPlatothisamountstoelicitingananamnesis(an
unforge ingorrecollection)ofsomepreviouslyknownorlatentknowledge.Forexample,we
previouslyconsideredhowPlatoscontemplationoftheFormoftheGoodinSymposium211212canbe
seenasademonstrativeproofoftheexistenceofGod.Similarly,somepassagesofPlatoseemintended
toevokeinthereaderanexperientialawarenessofthesoulsimmortality.
Second,someofPlatosproofsaremoredistinctandeasytoidentifyandcharacterizethanothers.What
mayatrstseemasingleproofmayhaveseveralvariationsorsensesthatmeritseparateconsideration.
Here,inasmuchasweareapproachingthetopicatadatagatheringstage,wewillinclinemoretowards
separatingthanaggregatingpotentiallydistinctproofs.
Third,someproofsappearinmorethanonedialogue.Initiallyweshallbecontentto,mostly,associate
eachproofwiththedialogueinwhichitoccursmostprominently.
ABibliography,alsotobedevelopedovertime,isadded.Ingeneralthe20thcenturyliteratureon
immortalityofthehumansoulismeageranindicationoftheradicalmaterialismthathaslately
dominated.
Onemotivationforpursuingthepresentprojectistoinforminvestigationofarelatedquestion,namely:
havelaterphilosophersintroducedmanynewandoriginalproofsfortheimmortalityofthehuman
soul,orhavethey,inthisareaasinmanyothers,moreorlessonlyaddedfootnotestoPlato?To
anticipatesomewhat,itistentativelyproposedthatoneproductivewaytoaddressthisquestionisto
considerthreerelevantworksfromdierenttimeperiods:(1)Book1ofCicerosTusculanDisputations
(whichmakesfrequentreferencetoPlatosmainworkonthesoul,Phaedo),(2)MarsilioFicinosPlatonic
Theology(prominentlysubtitled,OntheImmortalityoftheSoul),and(3)EdwardYoungsNightThoughts
(Nights6and7;ContainingTheNature,Proof,andImportanceofImmortality.)

PlatosProofsofImmortality

1.Cyclicityargument.
Source:Phaedo70c72e.
Summary:Allthingsproceedfromtheiropposites.Justasdeathproceedsfromlife,lifemustproceed
fromdeath.Thereforethesoulcannotpermanentlyperish.

2.Recollection(orinnateknowledge)argument.
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Source:Phaedo72e77d;cf.e.g.,Meno.
Summary:Itappearsthatweknowthingsthatwehavenotlearnedinthislifetimeasshownbythe
factthatwhentheyaremadesalient,wegraspthemimmediatelyandtheyseemalreadyfamiliar.This
suggeststoPlatothatwehavelivedbeforeinapreexistence;andifoursoulsexistedbeforethislife,
theywillexistafterthislife.

3.Affinityargument.
Source:Phaedo78b84b.
Summary:Therearetwolevelsofrealitythetemporalandchanging,andtheEternalandimmutable;
thesoulhasaninnateanityforeternalthings(e.g.,PlatonicForms;Truth,BeautyandMoral
Goodness;mathematicalandreligioustruths);thereforeitsownnaturemustbeeternal.

4.FormofLifeargument.
Source:Phaedo102b107b.
Summary:Thesoulisnotonlyaliveitself,butgiveslifetothebody.Thereforeitisintimatelyconnected
withtheessenceorFormofLife.Henceitwouldbeillogicalorinconsistentforthesoulitselftoperish.

5.Vitiatingprincipleargument.
Source:Republic10.608e611a.
Summary:Everythinghasitsownprincipleofdestruction,uniquetoitandinnate(e.g.,forabody,
disease);ifathingisdestroyed,itisonlybythisunique,endogenousprinciple.Thesoulhasaunique
destructiveprinciple,namelyvice;yeteventheworstviceisnotsucienttocompletelykillthesoul;
andsincenothingelsebesidesathingsinternaldestructiveprinciplecanmakeittotallyperish,thesoul
mustbeimmortal.

6.Justiceargument.
Source:Republic,Book10(e.g.,10.6124,andtheMythofErthatfollows).
Unlesstherearerewardsorpunishmentsafterthislife,itwouldviolateourinnatesenseofjustice.For
example,anevilmancouldavoidpunishmentformisdeedsbydying.Inshort,anafterlifeofthesoulis
requiredtoreconcileourstrongandinnatesenseoffairnesswiththeseemingdisregardofFatetomoral
justiceinthislife.
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7.Simplicityargument.
Source:Republic611b,Phaedo78bd;cf.Plotinus,Enneads1.1.2,1.1.9,1.1.12.
Summary:Athingcomposedofmanyelementsissusceptibletodecomposition;butthesoulisasingle
substance,uncompoundedandhenceincorruptible.

8.Selfmovedmover.
Source:Phaedrus245c246a.
Summary:Whilethesoulmovesthebody,anditmovesitself,itisitselfnotmovedbyanythingexternal
toit.Sincebeingdestroyedwouldimplymovementofsomesort,thesoul,notmovedbyanything
extrinsic,cannotbedestroyedandmustbeimperishable.

9.Universalinterestandyearning.
Source:Symposium201212.
DiotimasspeechesinSymposiumrevolvearoundthesubjectofimmortality.Severalsensesof
immortalityarepursued,suchasthebege ingofchildrenandtheimpartingofideasorvirtuetoother
people,leadinguptotheaddressingofimmortalityinthereligioussense.Theoveralldriftisthathuman
beingsseemexceptionallyinterestedinimmortalityandorientmuchoftheirlivestostrivingforit.This
wouldnotbelogicalunlessimmortalityispossible.

10.Proofviapurification.
Source:Republic10.611b612a;cf.PlotinusEnneads1.1.12andespecially4.7.10.
Aproofbydemonstration.Onewhoissuitablypuried,intellectuallyandmorally,mayobtain
immediateawarenessofthesoulstruenatureanditsimmortality.

11.Replenishmentargument.
Source:Phaedo72ae;cf.Republic10.611bd
Summary:Unlesstheworldwerenotreplenishedwithlivingsouls,eventuallyallthingswouldbedead;
rather,theworldiscontinuallyreplenishedwithlivingsouls,whomustexistsomewhereoutsideofthis
worldbeforeentering.AsSocratesputsit,ifallthingsthathavelifeshoulddie,and,whentheyhad

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died,thedeadshouldremaininthatcondition,isitnotinevitablethatatlastallthingswouldbedead.
(Phaedo72c).Whetherthisismerelyanotherstatementof,orimplicitin,thecyclicityargumentisatopic
forfurtherconsideration.

12.Afterlifetestimonies.
Source:RepublicBook10(MythofEr).
IfwetaketheMythofErliterally,thenitpurportstobeaneyewitnessaccountofsomeonewhohas
personallyobservedtheextramundanelifeofsouls.ItseemsfairlyclearthatPlatointendustotakethe
Ermythmorethanliterally;nevertheless,itdoesservemoreorlessasanimplicitreferencebyPlatoto
thegenreofsurvivaltestimony,ofwhichnumerousexamples,ancientandmodern,exist.

13.Trustedauthority.
Source:Meno81ab.
AmongthePlatoslesserargumentsforthesoulsimmortalityisanappealtoauthority:honoredand
trustworthyguresofthepasthavetaughtit.Thewisestandbestofmenarethemostcondentof
survivalofsoul.

14.Traditionandcustom.
Source:?
Widespreadoruniversaltraditionimpliesthatbeliefinimmortalityisinourcommonhumannature.
Thisisconceptuallydierentfromtheproofbytrustedauthority,thoughthetwoclearlygotogether.
(E.g.,onefunctionoftrustedauthorityispreciselytoarticulatemostclearlythecommonknowledgeor
tradition.)Idonothaveadenitesourceforthisinthedialogues,butincludeithere,tentatively,
becauseanothersourcementioneditinconnectionwithPlato.(Boththetraditionandthetrusted
authorityproofs,however,aretakenupbyCicero.)

15.Limitlesscapacity.
Source:?
Humanbeingsseemtohavealimitlesscapacityforknowledge,whichwouldservenopurposeifthe
souldidnotoutlivethebody.Hereagain,Ihavenodenitesourceforthisyet,buttheideaisimplicitin
PlatosgeneralviewofMansinnatedivinityandnoeticandmoralcapabilities;andtheNeoplatonist
view(derivedfromPlato)thateachhumansoulcontainsacopyofallForms.

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16.ExampleofSocrates.
Source:Apology,Phaedo,Crito.
Socratesabsoluteandunfeignedcondenceinthefaceofdeath,hisnonchalance,andwhateven
approachesaneagernesstoshueothemortalcoilconstituteademonstrativeproof.Hisactions,that
is,testifyatleastaseloquentlyashiswordstothesoulsimmortality.

17.Socratesdesiretoconvinceothers.
Source:Phaedo
Beyondhisowncondenceinimmortality,Socratesisintenselyconcernedtoconvinceothersofit.Such
benevolentzealisindicativeofwellfoundedsincerityandpossessionofanimportanttruth.

18.Socratessign.
Source:Apology.
OnereasonSocratesgivesforhiscondenceisthathishabitualsignordaemon,whichcustomarily
warnshimincaseofdanger,didnotopposehimina endinghistrial.This,Socrates,fullyexpectinga
deathsentence,tookasstrongevidencethathisexecutionposednoharm.InsofarasSocratesbelieved
hissign,andSocratesisatrustedsource,thisconstitutesevidencefortheimmortalityofthesoul.
Moreover,insofaras,fromthetestimonyofothers,wearepersuadedofthesignstrustworthiness
independentlyofSocratesownevaluationofit,thatisadditionalpositiveevidenceforimmortality.

19.ConvictionofPlato.
Platoalsoseemsintenselyconcernedwithconvincingreadersofthesoulsimmortality.Hisarguments
areclearlypresentedinaspiritofsomethingmorethandetachedspeculation.Ciceroputsitwell.
EvenifPlatogavenoreasonsforhisbeliefseehowmuchcondenceIhaveinthemanhe
wouldbreakdownmyoppositionbyhisauthorityalone;buthebringsforwardsomanyreasonsas
tomakeitperfectlyobviousthatheisnotonlyfullypersuadedhimself,butdesirousofconvincing
others.
~Cicero,Tusc.Disp.1.21.49
ThusCiceroalludesheretotwodierentproofs:Platosauthority,andhisdesiretoconvinceothers;
andthesheernumberorproofsPlatoproducesisseenasevidenceofthela er.

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mainlytoincludeworksthata empttoconsiderPlatosargumentsintheirtotality.
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Wri enbyJohnUebersax
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