Philosophy

Platos arguments that the soul does exist before birth of the body and continues to do so after death of the body means that life before or after death is a contentious issue which source and assumptions cannot be factually presented. In this thesis, I will prove that Platos arguments on the functions and immortality of the soul were too constricted to its existence.

Socrates in the Phaedo says that the presence of the soul in a body makes it alive. This helps us understand death from two points of view. One is spiritual death whereby the bodily desires have taken over the virtues of the soul. The second is the death of the physical body which sets the soul free.

The presence or absence of the soul therefore gives the body impetus and a desire to pursue life. The soul is the heat that animates the body of any living thing, be it a plant, animal or human being.
A philosophical approach will enable us explore assumptions, obtain answers and subsequently acquire knowledge regarding the immortality of the soul. Philosophy in this context will be important because clarity and certainty that will eliminate confusion regarding this topic will be eliminated.

    Platos Argument from Opposites presents that the body gets separated from the human soul when one dies. He says that the soul is most knowledgeable on important matters of life, but its realization is distracted and hindered by the physical body in which it lives.

Socrates said that a state of wisdom is achieved when both the soul and the body are together with the soul being the divine part with the primary function of ruling and governing the mortal, which is the body.

Plato argues that death and life must come from each other. The transition from life to death occurs through a process called dying while the transition from death to life is occurs by being born.
In Platos eyes, a philosopher lives his or her life preparing for death, because it is only in death that their souls will be freed from the trappings of the body to acquire knowledge. As such, a philosopher is not afraid of death and will actually live in anticipation of it in order to secure freedom from bodily inadequacies.

Plato suggests the soul is not only intellectual, but it also possesses desires such as love and the pleasure of learning. In addition, the soul upholds truth, and by using concepts and reasoning to make correct judgements, it is able to regulating the bodys pleasures, desires and fears.

The Republican countered Plato by saying that the soul is comprised of reason, spirit and appetite. Reason has wisdom, if offers guidance and regulations through acquisition of knowledge and appreciating truth. The spirit on the other hand attempts to create harmony and reduce conflict between the reason and appetite whose core concerns are food, drinks and sex. However, the Republicans theory also fails to show the connection between the soul and non-intellectual vital bodily functions.

Platos arguments through the presentation of various concepts do sound credible, unfortunately there is no factual information that can be used to support the argument that the soul lives on through the transitions of birth and death. He says that the souls must have gotten acquainted with our forms before birth, being the reason for the knowledge they possess.

Under no circumstances can evidence be produced to support the argument that the soul does survive without the body. Cebes argues that the body maybe a garment covering the soul. After death, the soul may continue to exist, but it cannot be established for how long and if at one point it will cease to exist.

Plato says that the soul controls the body by making judgements on its behalf. However, it is known that humans acquire knowledge from their surrounding environment physically, after which the knowledge is stored in the memory. It is this knowledge and experiences acquired by living things that influences how they make their judgements and live. The body therefore does not hinder knowledge acquisition, (Rhees 2004).

The argument that the soul is the bearer of moral qualities, control mechanism of bodily desires and the only one able to make correct judgement does an injustice to the unity and ability of the mind which is characterised by performance of mental and psychological processes that enable humans formulate a philosophy to live by.

The entire existence of living things has been constricted into the ability and functions of the soul. However, Platos arguments fail to show how bodily needs and desires, just to name a few may include hunger, tiredness, thirst, and sleep are regulated by the soul.

Naturally, however much humans fear death, they unwillingly live towards it and while alive must ensure that the body and soul work in harmony. In modern day, death can be seen as a blessing or feared depending on ones level of self actualization.

Bearing in mind our perceived purpose on earth, death maybe feared because early death would mean the physical demise of one from earth before fully completing tasks that one has set for himself or herself. The process of dying may also be feared due to aversion to pain as it may occur in other ways other than natural and peaceful death.

Death may also be feared because of the resultant grief and emotional burden left on those who were closely linked with the deceased. However, there are circumstances under which death may be seen as a blessing. This has mostly occurred when the human being has undergone severe physical pain in their body because of illness or injuries acquired from all manner of accidents. Death in this case is seen as a way of setting the individual free from pain and suffering that may crush the spirit.
The other circumstance is when the soul of the individual is not able to perceive justice and fairness in the living world. Such people may include serial killers or cannibals amongst others. In order to protect members of society from such social evils, especially where the concerned institutions have failed, death of deviant individuals relives society from their perceived fears.

In conclusion, it is correct to say that the soul in comparison with the body is invisible and divine while the body is visible and mortal as it disintegrates faster. It is also factual to state that when dead, the body will neither learn anything, nor will the soul have anything to control or regulate. Platos argument on the immortality of the soul remains as is because it cannot be disputed without facts however his view that the soul and not the mind is the sole regulator of the functions of the body is disputable.