Thomas Ranieri

Professor Shivers
22 September 2014
Philosophical Perspectives
I think it is fitting for a man to risk the belief, for the risk is a noble one (Phaedo,
114d)
At the cusp of death, human nature tends to lead people to give a last few words, a
mark of sorts to be known by. In Socrates last public speech at his prison cell to some
of his closest friends. Crito, a good friend of his has already offered to break him out of
jail so he could live in exile but instead has chosen to accept his fate. By doing this he has
taken the eternal risk. This being accepting death and instead of being fearful he is
passive and almost eager for death at this point.
Socrates approaches death with a sense that death isnt like the flip of a switch,
instantaneous, but throughout your whole life the way you carry yourself will be counted
evenly at judgment by Hades. He believes in living a good life. But what is good? Good
isnt just measured by opening up doors for men and being courteous. Think of Socrates
use of the word good in a more substantial sense over a moral sense. If this was followed
then the way Socrates teachings and philosophy were viewed by the senate and jury
would be held at the highest standard instead of a corruption of the youth.
Socrates believes that the soul is separate from the body. The body is a temporary
beacon for the soul to use to prove its worth and nature in the physical existence period
for a soul. Socrates is an advocate of immortality. The soul goes through cycles of life
and death, in short Socrates believes in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the theory that
ones soul passes through many bodies going through rounds of judgment after every life.
The matter of a person perishes, as the form is an everlasting spirit of man. So if in

theory, human beings have an unlimited time through a never-ending amount of bodies
they should live a life pursuing truth and a further understanding of the universe.
So then why not risk one of your physical lives for what sort of enlightenment
leads ahead? There are billions of people on Earth, living their lives with the idea that
they have such little time to exist and then after death, whatever happens, it is a universal
belief that this new existence will not be the same as the one that we cling to during our
physical lives. Thats why Socrates believed that philosophy would be the key to
guaranteeing a well-lived life. A person who takes the risk of questioning the standards of
what are set in stone methods without fear is the greatest of men. These people realize
that the immediate consequences by society may not be pleasant, but in time this
questioning will help evolve society and modernize thought, giving one life out of so
many over time such a special purpose. This is the good life that Socrates stresses so
much importance on to his peers.
During his apology, Socrates tries his best to get his point across to the jury and
this may do nothing at the time, but with Plato recording this, he has accomplished his
task of the good life. He explained his theories of teaching and how people should
question that of the Earth and stars instead of just believing the teachings of the few
nobles of the time. Yet with this dying thirst for a higher understanding of the universe at
the end of ones life Socrates expects them to just accept the present of death? This is the
one strange parallel I see in his attitude. Why be so certain that there is an idea of higher
purpose or reincarnation, if you take his theories and apply them to this situation, man
should search for some sort of understanding beyond just the physical Earth, not just
immersing what sort of unforeseen fate awaits man after death. I believe that questioning

everything is the true key to a good life, not just that of what is prevalent and involving
our present existence throughout land and sky. Socrates did bring the idea of not
accepting popular opinion and questioning beyond a few similar theories which altered
philosophy forever.