What happens when we die? This is a question humans have been pondering for centuries and although there are those who say they’ve been to the beyond there is no tangible proof of what lies beyond the grave. Sokrates was one of those who pondered what happens when we die and if death is worth fearing along with the idea immortality. In Apology, Sokrates defends his ideas before being prosecuted and in Phaedo those same values are tested when he faces his own death. Sokrates isn’t scared of death, his approach on death is viewing it as a question that will finally be answered. Knowing the jury will make him decide between his life or continuing his philosophical quest for knowledge, he tells them he will select the latter. While he acknowledges …show more content…
Sokrates does however shift his opinion of death from “having a pleasant after life” to being able to obtain “pure knowledge.” He explains, “[F]or it is impossible to attain any pure knowledge with the body, then one of two things is true: either we can never attain knowledge or we can do so after death. Then and not before, the soul is by itself apart from the body.” While we still hold onto our physical bodies are held back by our “natural desire to be nurtured” keeping us distracted from pursuing the truth and understanding. To further illustrate this he explains, “[O]nly then, when we are dead, attain that which we desire and of which we claim to be...” Sokrates’ opinion of death also evolves once more as he explains, “[I]t is not unreasonable that one should not kill one self before a god has indicated some necessity to do so.” He does not support the idea of suicide because he thinks of the gods as “good masters” and only a foolish man would run away from a master who keeps him satisfied. In the end, this idea is not enough to stop Sokrates from ending his life and he consumes the poison given to …show more content…
Again he states he isn’t afraid of what he doesn’t know and that he’s off to converse with better men in the afterlife. As an illustration he explains, “What would one not give… for the opportunity to examine the man who led the great expedition against Troy, or Odysseus, or Sisyphus and innumerable other men and women one could mention?” He also states that if you are just your life will not be “neglected by the gods” and your life after death will depend on whether you were pious or impious. In the same way, his attitude toward the afterlife is positive and confident in Phaedo. To clarify, he explains what he feels will happen as a human descends into the Underworld. He explains, when someone dies their “guardian spirit” leads them to a certain place and after being judged they are guided to the Underworld. Then, those who lived unjust lives will be shunned and none will want to travel with them. But since he has lived a just life and has no attachment to his body he will be fine thus explaining his positivity and confidence toward the
Gilgamesh goes on to seek eternal life. Death had never been a topic he had to deal with. Jacobsen explains, “death, fear of death, has become an ob...
Many religions and philosophies attempt to answer the question, what happens after a person dies? Some religions, such as Christianity and Islam, believe there is an afterlife. They believe that good and moral people enter Heaven or Paradise and that bad and immoral people go to Hell. Other religions and cultures believe that death is final, and that nothing happens after a person dies. Buddhism and Hinduism have different ideas about death.
Clearly, he sees the evils that he has suffered as part of a larger plan; furthermore, he attributes good fortune and punishment to the work of God and in my opinion, he sees God using him for a much greater purpose.
Sogyal Rinpoche stated “When you start preparing for death you soon realize that you must look into your life now.and come to face the truth of yourself. Death is like a mirror in which the true meaning of life is reflected.” Death is imminent. Many people today fear death for various reasons. Some people are able to accept it, while others deny its existence.
Much the same as in Epicurean Athens, one still needs to expel oneself from the clamor of cutting edge life, so as to practice genuine reflection and development in a situation without outer judgment. In investigation of death itself, I don't trust that we are any less panicked now that we were a hundred years back. Logical headways for the expansion of life and the curing of sickness are confirmation that we are still scared of death, as well as are resolved to build commercial enterprises that are committed to engaging the prospect. It would not be helpful to stop such causes, regardless of the possibility that, from an Epicurean stance, they are pointless to seek after by any means, for the world is presently a better place with respect to logical headway and information. In any case, fear of death is all inclusive, and will keep on rising above time. I trust that its hold over our brains ought to dependably be analyzed, and speculations connected, to scatter its negative impact over our lives, objectives and dispositions, for such a distraction does without a doubt lessen general happiness and quest for straightforwardness. All in all, it could be said that whilst the greater part of Epicurus' speculations on pleasure and happiness could now be considered to some degree dated, fear of death is all inclusive and immortal, in this manner still
Death, and people's perception of it are a major part of many philosophies. It could be argued that the questions surrounding death and the afterlife form the basis of many philosophic concepts. To some philosophers, not only is the concept of death itself important, but also how people perceive it, and why they perceive it the way they do. Epicurus's claim that the soul is mortal, is an excellent explanation for why we should not fear death.
The speaker starts sadly with a little anger, but sooner after that she changes her tone to accept God’s will. She believes that he is not going to be alone because he will meet the other deceased in the eternal life. She proclaims: “ Three flowers, two scarcely blown, the last i’th’ bud, / Cropped by th’ Almighty’s hand; yet is He good” (3-4). She is happy because her grandchildren will be more secure in heaven under the grace of God. She begins to accept God’s will: “Such was His [God] will, but why, let’s not dispute” (6). She knows it is a sin to interfere and complain about God’s plan for the universe. Thus, she reforms her hypocrisy and dissatisfaction and considers God to be “merciful as well as just”
The question of whether death is bad for the individual passing away, was first introduced by the Greek philosopher, Epicurus. He concluded that death should not be feared as ‘where death is, I am not; where I am, death is not’. Epicurus believed that the study of philosophy can aid us in living happier and more pleasant life. Epicurus was a hedonist, who determined that the
The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former.
In the Phaedo Socrates claims that the soul is indeed immortal, that it lives forever and cannot die even after the body has died, thus philosophers spend their lives devaluing themselves from their body. Socrates presents the Theory of Recollection to persuade his fellow philosophers that have convened inside his cell that the soul is immortal. In essence, the recollection argument refers to the act of learning, because the soul is immortal, according to Socrates, then this suggests that when a person is learning something they are actually relearning it, because their soul has existed before they were born. This idea of recollecting knowledge is prominent and is the most convincing argument in proving the existence of immortality through the soul, however, this argument does not suggest that the soul continues to exist after death and lacks clarity regarding what truly happens after a person dies.
Socrates was a philosopher who was true to his word and his death was ultimately felt by his closest friends and followers. In Phaedo, Socrates is met with his closest friends during his final hours as they await his death. At this point Socrates is prepared for death and seems to welcome it. Although death may seem like a scary inevitable fate that we all must face at one point; Socrates saw death as a privilege mainly because he believed that the soul was immortal. As a result, Socrates provides arguments as to why he believed the soul was immortal and even though all his arguments lacked unconvincing evidence, he does bring up good points. In this paper I will talk about Socrates’ most and least convincing arguments on immortality, and explain what Socrates’ problem was with Anaxagoras.
Death is always an interesting topic for discussion. Individuals will respond differently to it emotionally and physically. Some will see it as a nuisance and attempt to remain as busy as they can to not think of it but once death catches up to us we hope and pray that there is an afterlife where we can continue living. Others will do anything in their power to fight against it and make sure that they live their life to the fullest. These individuals are determined to leave some trace of them behind before it is too late. There are a few individuals who find the beauty in death. As if death is all around us and we simply need to take the time to look at it. In any case death is something we will encounter and in Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, Thomas’s, “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”, and Seuss’s “Still-Life with Turkey” we are shown these different viewpoints in very different and unique ways.
Socrates discusses that people should not fear death because we do not know the qualities of death. Even though we do not know what death is, he makes some suggestions for the possibilities after death. He suggests that maybe death is just an endless sleep without dreaming, it is where we can finally come to peace with ourselves. He also suggest that maybe in the afterlife he will be able to meet heroic people in the past, where he can share his experience and question people to see whether they are wise. Even in death Socrates is still going to practice philosophy even if the place is bad. Even if he did not live a just life that he thought he did, he can examine what he did wrong and fix the problems in the after life. I agree with Socrates
Dr. Moody reports, “Almost every person has expressed to me the thought that he is no longer afraid of death” (Moody Jr, MD, 2015, p. 90). Dr. Moody draws parallels between scripture, the philosopher Plato, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and Emanuel Swedenborg. Scripture teaches us of Christ speaking to Paul and what body the dead will have. Christ
What is going to happen to us when we will die? Some people never considered what it could happen to them after life. For many people, death is a redoubtable event because they do not know what to expect after their death. However, other persons, such as religious people are conscious of what to expect after their death because of their beliefs. Each religion has different ideas and different ways of looking life. Death, therefore, is viewed by different religions in many ways. Although, different religions have a distinct conception of death, they all have something in common: they all give hope to people. Among all different religions in the world, four of the most common ones - Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu- view death in different ways.