What Plato has to say about the soul

“Now it is time to be off, I to die, and you to live; but which of us has the happier prospect is unknown to anyone but God.”

Plato’s doctrine on the soul is both extensive and varied. In the Apology we are witness to the agnostic views of Socrates on his death, and in the Phaedo we touchingly observe Socrates’ confidence in the face of death, that his very soul will live on. Plato comments on the necessity to lead a life that will be beneficial to the soul, that will allow it to achieve its potential after death, without the distraction of carnal desires. He also develops proofs that show that the soul is immortal and that it carries knowledge to its present life. This Essay will serve to establish Plato’s main ideas on the soul, concentrating on the Apology, Phaedo, and Meno.

Plato saw that the best way to keep the soul healthy was to nourish it in a special way. He believed that its true health lay in reason, and therefore to nourish it properly was to practice the...