Plato's Phaedo

by David Bostock

David Bostock examines the theories and arguments put forward by Plato in his Phaedo , in which he attempts to show that the soul is immortal. This excellent introduction to Plato's often difficult arguments discusses such important philosophical problems as the nature of the mind, the idea of personal identity, the question of how we understand language, and the concept of cause, reason, and explanation.

Genres: Philosophy, Canon

236 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 1986

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Das war eine Qual. Weder gut geschrieben, noch sonderlich informativ. Viel zu viele Exkurse die nirgendwo hinführen.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too scholarly. Meant for someone who perhaps hasn't read the dialogue before. Couple neat points of analysis, but mainly full of unnecessary repetitions and some unhelpful digressions. Does not give one a sense of the purpose of the dialogue.

[Izzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, so so interesting. Very dense but I honestly agree?! Although somewhat circular, i got a new perspective on reincarnation which I now stand more confidently in

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars
Although I’m not usually a fan of philosophical dialogues, I found Plato’s Phaedo surprisingly engaging. I enjoyed following Socrates's logic and seeing how each point connected to a bigger philosophical idea about life, death, and truth. Though it was not my favorite format of text, this read was interesting.

[Anne Kearns · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little dense but it still blows my mind

[Chris Seltzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Phædo reminds me of the game of 'hoop rolling'. You can understand how it came to be and for a lot of human history, it seems like a fun thing to engage with.

But just like we have video games now to occupy our time, we have a much better understanding of our world and human behavior.

In the same way that spending your time rolling a hoop done a road using a stick seems like a quaint form of entertainment to me, this book seems like a quaint view of philosophy.

I'm sure it's a useful teaching tool for someone studying the historical context but most readers can skip this one.

[Anndrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really heavy (philosophically) book, but I liked the bursts of sarcasm and whit.