Beyond the dichotomy between body and soul: notes on the “affinity argument” (77e-80d) in Plato’s Phaedo
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/1984-249X_34_21Keywords:
corpo, alma, morte, imortalidade, cognição, teoria das Ideias.Abstract
The third argument in favor of the immortality of the soul in the Phaedo, which the exegetical tradition also calls the “affinity argument” (77e-80d), presents a curious relationship between body and soul, which is often seen by commentators as a radical dichotomy. To discuss this passage of the Phaedo in the attempt to surpass the alleged dichotomy between body and soul sometimes imputed to Plato in this dialogue, we propose, in this article, a close analysis of the argument in two steps, which is also divided into two levels: (i) the analogy between the soul and the Forms (78b-79c), (ii) and the analogy between the soul and the divine (80a-c). Because this argument has been generating controversy and trusting that this debate is far from reaching its term, the objective of this article is to answer three questions: how are we to understand the affinity argument in the economy of the Phaedo? Besides, how are we to understand the relationship between body and soul in this argument? Finally, does the platonic text allows us to infer a radical dichotomy between these two elements? As we shall see, Socrates is much less interested in offering a logical demonstration of the immortality of the soul, than an exhortation to heal his companions from the fear that the soul vanishes with the death of the body. It is thus the perfect opportunity to discuss these two elements that constitute the ephemerous phenomenon called “man” (ánthropos), its modes of cognition and its ethical behaviour.
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