Socrates_and_the_Afterlife

Socrates and the Afterlife In The Phaedo, Socrates states that the soul is immortal and he, who lives a life of knowledge and good, will be reborn to live out life in upper Earth. Socrates does not fear death because he knows in his heart that he has lived a good life and will be reborn to live out life in upper Earth. Socrates believed that dying was not final, that because our souls are immortal, we will continue to live for eternity. The things we do, say, and feel along with our actions and beliefs ultimately dictate how our soul will be judged once it enters the underworld. Socrates’ beliefs in the afterlife involved a multi-level system based on deeds committed, while on Earth, and it was this belief that ultimately cleared him of any wrong doing, which is why he was not afraid of death, but rather, ready for it. The realization of death did not leave Socrates in any state of sorrow but rather gave him hope and happiness that he would soon be moving further onto what he believed was the path of the soul. Socrates had no fear of death because he believed specifically in the afterlife and that the soul left the body and moved on to the next phase in life. Socrates states that there are many pathways a soul can follow after death; all depending on how a person acted during life will determine where the go and what happens to their soul. The description of Socrates’ earth is that of a place where gods and men alike can converse and it is a lot like heaven described in Christianity. Many people believe in the same types of ideas about what happens after a person dies; their soul departs and takes upon a whole new journey. Socrates describes afterlife as a system based on levels. Which level the soul winds up in completely depends upon how pure the soul remains during its time on Earth. Socrates also explains that depending on the crime that is committed, there is a possibility that the soul can move up through the levels to reach a better final resting place. Those who commit heinous crimes are immediately tossed into the deepest and darkest level known as Tartarus and there they will remain for all eternity. Souls that have committed severe crimes will start in Tartarus and have a chance to plea to those that they have harmed, and may have a chance to be forgiven, and if that is so, then they can live out eternity in the middle levels of the underworld, probably something similar to the Fields of Asphodel. However, if they are not forgiven, they are tossed back into Tartarus and must remain there for eternity. Personally my beliefs are similar to what Socrates describes; Christianity and other such religions often depict a lake of fire where the sinners of life have come to pay for the evil they have committed during their lives. Socrates also describes different levels of the afterlife that a soul would get to go to redeem their place in the purer earth where they get to live but to get there one must have been pure in virtue and wisdom in physical life. Socrates describes that he feels a great hope that something like this is true and this is how he gives himself comfort before drinking the poison as his sentence. My belief that a person’s soul departs their body and goes through many paths; it is my opinion that the soul goes directly to wherever it is they have earned their place and that is where they spend the rest of eternity.