Sunday Reading Circle: Plato's Phaedo

In this series of meetings, we'll come together to read and discuss some of the greatest texts and essays from the fields of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: from the Nobel laureates, famous philosophers, both ancient and modern, and influential political theorists.

No academic background is required! Anyone is welcome – as long as you've read the text in advance ;)

All texts will be short (10-20 pages max) and easy to find upon a quick Google search. I will also make sure to share the direct links in advance.

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This time we will read Phaedo – the final 'Socratic' dialogue by Plato (after Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito) dealing with the trial and final days of Socrates.

Phaedo narrates Socrates’ last conversation, in which he offers four arguments for the soul’s immortality – the Cyclical Argument, the Theory of Recollection, the Argument from Affinity, and the Final Argument from Forms.

The dialogue shaped later conceptions of the soul and profoundly influenced Platonism and early Christian thought: Plotinus drew on its metaphysics of ascent, and Augustine credited it with deepening his understanding of incorporeal truth.

Link:
https://www.platonicfoundation.org/translation/phaedo/

Note: this dialogue is slightly longer than the previous ones we read (~40 pages), so make sure to allocate sufficient time to reading :)

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Location: we will meet in cafes, parks, or one another's living rooms throughout the summer. Together, we will discuss the great theories and ideas; think, debate, contemplate, deliberate, and by our joint effort we will aim to get one step closer towards understanding of this world.

This time we’ll meet at Justin’s home (Blahníkova 646/16). The names on the buzzer are “McCandless, Everett, Mainous,” go up to the 5th floor and if the button in the elevator gives you trouble then just ride it up to the 4th floor.

Meeting structure: each session will begin with a brief summary of the key ideas from the reading, followed by open discussion.

Please read the text in advance, make highlights, and write down any thoughts or questions that you find especially interesting and compelling.

Knowledge Will Break the Chains of Slavery
Veritas Vos Liberabit ✊