7耶鲁公开课死亡字幕Word文档格式.docx

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smetaphysicalviewssothatwecanunderstandtheargumentsthatcomeuplaterinthePhaedo,basicallyallofwhichormanyofwhichpresupposesomething-certaincentralaspectsaboutPlato'

smetaphysicalviews.

Thekeypointbehindhismetaphysicsthenwasthethoughtthat,inadditiontotheordinaryempiricalphysicalworldthatwe'

reallfamiliarwith,wehavetoposittheexistenceofakindofsecondrealm,inwhichexistthePlatonic--asthey'

renowadayscalled--thePlatonicformsorPlatonicideas.Thesortofthingthatperhapswemightcallorthinkofasabstractobjectsorabstractproperties.Andthereasonforpositingthesethingsisbecausewe'

reclearlyabletothinkabouttheseideas,andyet,werecognizethattheordinaryphysicalworld--althoughthingsmayparticipateinthemtovaryingdegrees--wedon'

tactuallycomeacrosstheseobjectsorentitiesinthephysicalworld.Sothatwecantalkaboutthingsbeingbeautifultovaryingdegrees,butwenevercomeacrossbeautyitselfintheactualempiricalworld.Weareabletotalkaboutthefactthattwoplusoneequalsthree,butit'

snotasthoughweevercomeacrossnumbers--numberthreeitself--anywhereintheempiricalworld.

Afurtherpointthatdistinguishestheempiricalworldfromthis--thisrealmofPlatonicidealobjects--isthatindeedthey--there'

ssomethingperfectaboutthem.Theydon'

tchange.Incontrast,physicalobjectsareconstantlychanging.Somethingmightbeshortatonepointandbecometallatanotherpoint,uglyatonepointandbecomebeautiful--liketheuglyduckling.Itstartsoutuglyandbecomesabeautifulswan.Incontrast,justiceitselfneverchanges.Beautyitselfneverchanges.Wehavethethoughtthatthesethingsareeternal,andindeed,beyondchange,incontrasttotheempiricalworld.Infact,ifyoustartthinkingmoreabouttheworldfromthisperspective,theworldweliveiniscrazy.It'

salmostinsanelycontradictory.

Platothinksofitascrazyinthewaythatadreamis.Whenyou'

recaughtupinthedream,youdon'

tnoticejusthowinsaneitallis.Butifyoustepbackandreflectonit,"

Well,let'

ssee,IwaseatingasandwichandsuddenlythesandwichwastheStatueofLiberty,excepttheStatueofLibertywasmymother.Andshe'

sflyingovertheocean,exceptshe'

sreallyapieceofspaghetti."

That'

showdreamsare.Andwhenyou'

reinit,itsortofallmakessense.Right?

You'

rekindofcaughtup,butyoustepbackandsay,"

That'

sjustinsane."

Well,Platothinksthattheempiricalworldhassomethingofthatkindofinsanity,somethingofthatkindcontradictoriness,builtintoitthatwedon'

tordinarilynotice."

He'

sabasketballplayer,sohe'

sreally,reallytall,excepthe'

sonlysixfeet.Sohe'

sreally,reallyshortfora

basketballplayer.Thisisababyelephant,soit'

sreally,reallybig--exceptit'

sababyelephant,soit'

sreally,reallysmall."

Theworldisconstantlyrolling--thisisaPlatonicexpression-rollingbetweenoneformandtheother.Andit'

shardtomakesenseof.Incontrast,themindisabletograspthePlatonicideas,thePlatonicforms;

andthey'

restable,they'

rereliable,theyare--they'

relaw-likeandwecangraspthem.Theydon'

tchange;

they'

reeternal.That'

s,asIsay,thePlatonicpicture.

Now,it'

snotmypurposeheretotrytoarguefororagainstPlatonismwithregardtoabstractentities.AsIsuggestedintalkingabouttheexampleofmathlasttime,it'

snotasillyview,evenifit'

snotaviewthatwealltakeautomatically.Butinthinkingaboutmath,mostofusareinclinedtobePlatonists.Wealldobelievesomethingmakesittruethattwoplusoneequalsthree,butit'

snotthefactthatempiricalobjects--Wedon'

tdoempiricalexperimentstoseewhethertwoplusoneequalsthree.Rather,wethinkourmindcangraspthetruthsaboutnumbers.Platothoughteverythingwaslikethat.Well,I'

mnotgoingtoargueforandagainstthatview--justwantedtosketchit,soastounderstandtheargumentsthatturnonit.

Soforourpurposes,let'

ssupposePlatowasrightaboutthatandask,whatfollows?

Well,Platothinkswhat'

sgoingtofollowisthatwehavesomereasontobelieveintheimmortalityofthesoulas,again,asweindicatedlasttime,thepictureisthatthemind--thesoul--isabletograsptheseeternalPlatonicforms,theideas.Typically,we'

redistractedfromthinkingaboutthembythedistractionsprovidedbythebody--thedesireforfood,drink,sex,whathaveyou,sleep.Butbydistancingitselffromthebody,themind,thesoul,isabletobetterconcentrateontheforms.Andifyou'

regoodatthat,ifyoupracticewhileyou'

realive,separatingyourselffromthebody,thenwhenyourbodydies,themindisabletogouptothisPlatonicheavenlyrealmandcommunewithgodsandotherimmortalsoulsandthinkabouttheforms.Butifyou'

venotseparatedyourselffromthebodywhileinlife,ifyou'

retooenmeshedinitsconcerns,thenuponthedeathofyourbodyyoursoulwillgetsuckedbackin,reincarnatedperhaps,inanotherbody.Ifyou'

relucky,asanotherperson;

ifyou'

renotsolucky,asapigoradonkeyoranantorwhathaveyou.

Soyourgoal,Platosays,yourgoalshouldbe,inlife,topracticedeath--toseparateyourselffromyourbody.Andbecauseofthis,Socrates,who'

sfacingdeath,isn'

tdistressedattheprospect,buthappy.He'

shappythatthefinalseparationwilltakeplaceandhe'

llbeabletogotoheaven.

Thedialogueends,ofcourse,withthedeathscene--SocrateshasbeencondemnedtodeathbytheAthenians,anditendswithhisdrinkingthehemlock,notdistressedbutrathersortofjoyful.AndthedialogueendswithoneofthegreatmovingdeathscenesinwesterncivilizationandasPlatosays--let'

sgetthequotehereexactlyright--"

Ofallthosewehaveknown,hewasthebestandalsothewisestandthemost

upright."

Justbeforethedeathscene,there'

salongmyth,whichIdrawyourattentiontobutIdon'

twanttodiscussinanykindofdetail.Platosaysit'

sastory;

it'

samyth.He'

stryingtoindicatethattherearethingsthatwecan'

treallyknowinascientificwaybutwecanglimpse.AndthemythhastodowiththesesortofpicturesIwasjustdescribingwherewedon'

tactuallyliveonthesurfaceoftheEarthofinthelight,butratherliveincertainhollowsinthedarkwherewe'

remistakenaboutthenatureofreality.SomeofyouwhoaremaybefamiliarwithPlato'

slaterdialogueTheRepublicmayrecognizeatleastwhatseemstome,whatwehavehere,isaforeshadowingofthemythofthecave,ortheallegoryofthecave,whichPlatodescribesthereaswell.

Ourconcernisgoingtobetheargumentsthatmakeupthecenterofthedialogue.Becauseinthecenterofthedialogue,beforehedies,Socratesisarguingwithhisfriends.Socratesissaying,"

Look,I'

mnotworried.I'

mgoingtoliveforever."

Andhisdisciplesandfriendsareworriedwhetherthisistrueornot.AndsotheheartofthedialogueconsistsofaseriesofargumentsinwhichSocratesattemptstolayouthisreasonsforbelievingintheimmortalityofthesoul.Andthat'

sgoingtobeourconcern.WhatI'

mgoingtodoisbasicallyrunthroughmyattempttoreconstruct--myattempttolayoutthebasicideasfromthisseriesoffourorfiveargumentsthatPlatogivesus.I'

mgoingtocriticizethem.Idon'

tthinktheywork,thoughIwanttoremarkbeforeIturntothemthatinsayingthisI'

mnotnecessarilycriticizingPlato.Aswe'

llsee,someofthelaterargumentsseemtobedeliberatelyaimedatansweringobjectionsthatwecanraisetosomeoftheearlierarguments.AndsoitmightwellbethatPlatohimselfrecognizedthattheinitialargumentsaren'

tasstrongastheyneedtobe.

Platowrotethedialoguesasakindoflearningdevice,asatooltohelpthereadergetbetteratdoingphilosophy.Theydon'

tnecessarilyrepresentinasystematicfashionPlato'

sworkedoutaxiomaticviewsaboutthenatureofphilosophy.ItcouldbethatPlato'

sdeliberatelyputtingmistakesinearlierargumentssoastoencourageyoutothinkforyourself,"

Oh,thisis--here'

saproblemwiththisargument.There'

sanobjectionwiththatargument."

Someofthese,Platothenmayaddresslateron.Butwhetherornothedoesaddressthem--we'

renotdoingPlatoanyhonor,we'

renotdoinghimanyservice,ifwelimitourselvestosimplytryingtograsp,here'

swhatPlatothought.Wecoulddothehistoryofideasandsay,"

Here'

sPlato'

sviews.Aren'

ttheyinteresting?

NoticehowtheydifferfromAristotle'

"

andmoveonlikethat.Butthat'

snotwhatthephilosopherswantedustodo.Thegreatphilosophershadargumentsthattheywereputtingforwardtotrytopersuadeusofthetruthsoftheirpositions.Andthewayyoushowrespectforaphilosopherisbytakingthoseargumentsseriouslyandaskingyourself,dotheyworkornot?

SowhetherornottheviewsthatarebeingputforwardinSocrates'

moutharetheconsidered,reflectivejudgmentsofPlatoornot,forourpurposeswecanjustactasthoughtheyweretheargumentsbeingputforwardbyPlato,andwecanaskourselves,"

Dotheseargumentsworkordon'

tthey?

SoI'

mgoingtorunthroughaseriesofthesearguments.I'

mgoingto,asI'

vementionedbefore,beabitmoreexegeticalthanisnormallythecaseforourreadings.I'

mgoingtoactuallypause,periodicallylookatmynotesandmakesureI'

mrememberinghowIthinkPla