To what do mortals aspire in living toward death? In what sense is such a life a good life?

Socrates is most often quoted as saying something akin to: "The unexamined life is not worth living". This statement itself has the distinct 'hint' of death about it, in that it has a slight disregard for life's 'worth', but in a context that needs to be examined in further detail. For it suggests that the life without some degree of self-inquiry, of reflection, is the life without worth. It is, rather, the life that is self-aware or accountable to itself, that Socrates sees as being of considerable value, of worth. Yet he then goes on to explain that these qualities, that is, the qualities which aspire to wisdom and reflection, are the qualities which 'live' towards 'death'. We can assume that the crux of Plato's writing; of Socrates life; suggests that living a life in which one does not fear, and in fact anticipates, one's own death is in fact the most valued life (of the philosopher).

The philosopher is one who should aspire to a state in which wisdom can be easily obtained. That is, no distractions detract from the attainment of wisdom. Socrates says that this is a state in which the soul is free from the body, free from this life, in order to seek a true knowledge of things. To arrive at a particular cosmology or 'world' view which consumes all. Socrates (Plato) says that the true philosopher should therefore despise the physical trappings of the flesh, as they are nothing but a distraction from the pursuit of wisdom and a hindrance to any pure philosophical enquiry.

For the body continuously distracts the philosopher from the concerns of the soul. These distractions being the various requirements needed to sustain or pleasure (avoid pain) the corporeal person, to sustain life on a material level. The pursuit of food, drink, sex, pleasure, material wealth etc, are hurdles to overcome in a race for enlightment. For Truth. Socrates is providing us with a distinction between the body and the soul. For one who is concerned with the body is wrapped up in the more material concerns of human existence and does not seek the same things that the philospher pertains to.

"There are people who have a very practical, pragmatic, or functional knowledge about how to get the things they want in life....They have knowledge of a kind, but not knowledge of the kind that Socrates is referring to. It is not the knowledge that a person of wisdom, a philosopher, seeks and, indeed, the pursuit of the sensuous, material things actually inhibits the attainment of wisdom." (Study Guide, pg. 18)

The focus though is how the search for wisdom actually pertains to, or links, with a life that is spent aspiring towards death. It is important to realise that Socrates was a firm believer in the existence of the human soul, as distinct from the body, not only on a metaphorical level, or as a concept, but an actual 'spirit-stuff'. It was the belief of the time that upon the death of a person their soul would escape a sort of smoke or vapour from the body, akin to the bodies last dying breath. We can also say that Socrates may have 'wished' for such a thing to be true once gaining knowledge of his own immenent death. For in proving the existence of such a thing some 'security' in the notion that he would live on after his physical death would be obtained.

"....there is good reason for anyone who reaches the end of this journey which lies before me to hope that there, if anywhere, he will attain the object to which all our efforts have been directed in life gone by." (The Last Days of Socrates, pg. 120; 67b)

In our contemporary culture, with developments in science and such, it may be more logical to believe this is the case. For we have seen that a great deal of human behaviour can be linked with neurons, chemicals and electrical impulses. But it is important to realise that a clear distinction exists between these biological manifestations/causes of human behaviour and what are considered as 'thoughts'. We can say that Socrates was indeed speaking the truth when he linked emotions with the physical, and therefore being distractions from the pursuit of Truth, as a great deal of research today has linked emotions with the biological activity of the brain. But it becomes difficult to articulate the distinction between mind and brain, between the functions of the physical and the 'activity' of thought. We must understand that the ancient Greek belief was that thinking was something that belonged exclusively to the soul. The soul was often held to be the thinking 'part'. And so, reflection became the exclusive 'activity' of the soul, and therefore detracted from the purely physical. This distinction is not so clear now, and yet we can understand that 'thought' is somehow different from what I'll term as 'brain-activity'. Even today we cannot clearly distinguish the 'mind' from the 'brain', as these two words imply different things. This is a distinction that we may link with Socrates pursuit of the idea that reflection was the specific activity of the soul, or in this case, the mind. We can now have some grasp, even with respect to todays paradigm, of Socrates thoughts on the matter (!).

Even today we question what reality may actually be. That is, we have two approaches to the 'concept' of reality. One is that reality is anything that we can see, hear, touch, taste or smell. This is the world that is 'registered' through the senses, itself something of an empirical 'cause and effect' approach. Already, we can see that this candidate pertains to the physical, sensuous world that Socrates says is the distraction from Truth, and so, in this light, is 'philosophically' invalid.

The second notion is that reality is something which is disclosed or discovered through reflection, thought or reasoning. This is the exclusive domain of the soul (as suggested by Socrates/Plato) and so is the reality which we may consider valid. Therefore, the soul's task is the pursuit of relaity, or Truth. We think or reflect in order to discover Truth rather than 'sense' Truth via our physical, sensual modality. In acquiring knowledge and reflecting upon it we come to grasp reality rather than perceiving a composition of material objects which are to be acquainted with.

"Surely the soul can reason best when it is free of all distractions such as hearing or sight or pain or pleasure of any kind - that is, when it leaves the body to its own devices, becomes as isolated as possible, and strives for reality while avoiding as much physical contact and association as it can." (The Last Days of Socrates, pg. 118; 65c)

We have returned to the notion that death or, rather, living in disdain of the body is the aspiration of the philosophical mind. The philosopher should be "...glad to set out for the place where there is a prospect of attaining the object of their lifelong desire, which is wisdom...."1 and escaping the associations they have with the physical 'distractions' of their lives. Thereofre, the philosopher will be least afraid of the encroachment of death in that he will actually 'look forward to it' in some respect. Death becomes the philosopher's life, and "...dying their profession.."2, in that he rejects the physical mode of existence and devotes his time to the activities of the soul, which have already been established as reflection and/or thought. The pursuit of Truth. The attainment of wisdom.

"'So if you see anyone distressed at the prospect of dying,' said Socrates, ' it will be proof enough that he is not a lover of wisdom but of the body (this same man would presumably be a lover of money) and of prestige, one or the other or both.' (The Last Days of Socrates, pg.121; 68c.)

It has become the catchcry of many of today's religions that devotion to the physical, material aspects of one's life is something that should be disdained, and indeed, a promotion of the things that are intrinsically good within man, those things that are immmaterial, spiritual, intangible or undefined are often seen to be representations of the utmost good - the existence of the undying human soul. Plato may have been a philosopher, but the topics that he addressed, that the ponderings and musings of Socrates brought to light, highlighted these intrinsic things within every man. He is a timeless philosopher whose ideas serve as not only food for the philosopher (and guidelines for his 'conduct', almost) but sustenance for religion. To address the soul is to address the fundamental nature of man in more ways than one.

For further discussion on the philosophers behalf presents the idea of 'absolutes'. A 'world' of things that are all that a certain quality is. That is, a realm in which everything is returned to the very essence from which observations and thoughts of it spring. A place where beauty and love are no longer qualities that something is said to possess but more wholly recognisable. This may go on to be the 'heaven' to which Socrates aspires. Upon his death, the very essence of himself, his soul, that indestructible part of him, will pass on to this realm; an absolute.

To Socrates, a devotion or concern for the material is almost a waste of time, for one day, the body will no longer be of any concern. Indeed, he believes that while 'alive' there should be no real concern with the material. He preaches a life of ascetism. To live ascetically one must reject the pleasures and distractions of the body and devote one's time to the more soulish activities. Upon physical death, something of a culmination of efforts in Socrates eyes, one will no longer have need for the 'temple' of the body. He goes on to describe how the soul will pass on to the realm of the Gods and meet with others who have died (loved one's, friends, etc) and there engage in the sort of intellectual discussion that he does so in life, but without hindrance. The soul is now in a possession to discover wisdom with a greater accuracy, a greater freedom. Upon death, one becomes 'reflection', or thought. And so, upon death, Socrates will be almost 'united' with the Truth that he belives is the fundamental pursuit of all 'living' men.

For if a life is spent without Truth or it's active pursuit, then this life becomes nothing important. It is wasted. But a life spent in reflection, which becomes aware of itself and it's nature, a life spent in thought, a life spent 'in' death (or having such qualities) is by far the better life in that it has been lived to it's full potential. In todays culture, it has been noted that those who undergo 'Out of Body' Experiences or find themselves in accidents or situations in which they are faced with the prospect of, or the actual realities of, death, often report living richer and fuller lives afterwards. They realise that upon death they either no longer have a chance to experience the physical or, in the case of "OBE's" know that something akin to Socrates realm of the soul, the absolutes, lays beyond life. Time in this world is limited and should be cherished, but it should not distract you from your pursuit of Truth. Life should be spent in thought and reflection upon the very nature of anything and everything. For the unexamined life is not worth living.


Bibliography

The Last Days of Socrates, Plato. Translated by Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant. 'WISDOM AND THE SOUL' - Phaedo. Published by the Penguin Group, 1954, 1959, 1969, 1993.

Plato's Images of Human Existence, Deakin University Study Guide. Faculty of Arts. Based on lectures by Stan van Hooft. Extended, Ammended and Edited by Peter Rzechorzek.

Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder. Published by Pheonix House, Great Britain, 1995. Paperback in 1996. Pgs. 69-79.

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