Philosophies Relationship to Death Essay - 971 Words

Philosophies Relationship to Death Apology and Phaedo Knowledge of Death versus Belief in a Soul In Plato’s Apology, Socrates says that he knows nothing of death while in Phaedo he discusses many of his beliefs on death and its philosophical ramifications. From this simple perspective it may seem as though he is contradicting himself although he, after further investigation, is not. Philosophically, the idea of death and an afterlife can be looked at from multiple non-contradictory viewpoints. Socrates talks of his lack of knowledge of death in order to define, more so, his philosophy on life. While in Phaedo, he talks explicitly about his philosophy on death. The two discussions of death are equally important in†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, death does not constitute a certain evil and death may not interfere with the will of God, his teaching and discussing and thinking. So, as simple logic can explain, living would require that evil does exist whether it’s incarceration or any other punishment, while death may be, in fact the greatest good, rather than the preconceived notion of many that it is the greatest evil. Socrates, thus, chose the possibility of good rather than the inevitability of evil. By discussing death in such a manner Socrates is also able to offer his opinion on the decisions made during life. If we are not able to know whether death is an evil at all, when compared to other options in life, it may be the better. We do know, for example, that disgrace is an evil so, when faced with the option, Socrates would choose death. Socrates discussed this in terms of following the orders of a righteous leader in a military situation, but made his reasoning more personal when he used it in describing his desire to follow the orders, or will, of God. It is therefore, if we want to live righteously, that we should not fear death as the many earthly evils should be feared instead. In Phaedo Socrates, during his last ours of life answers many questions on his belief of the ramifications of death. He discusses not whether death is an evil, nor does he say that he knows death, but instead whether death exists for the soul at all and in what form. Socrates argues that deathShow MoreRelatedEssay about Confucianism1154 Words   |  5 Pages Confucianism Confucianism is an East Asian philosophy built up by a Chinese philosopher, Confucius (Kung Fu-tzu), in the 6th - 5th century BCE. It’s a philosophy based on human morals and relationships. To really understand Confucianism, how it originated and what parts of history contributed towards its development, you have to look into: who is Confucius, the history of Confucianism and what happened to Confucianism after the death of Confucius? Who is Confucius? 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