"The Argumentation of Plato's Phaedo and the Nature of Soul"

Why do the Phaedo's arguments for the sou's immortality often seem so weak or even transparently fallacious? Is there some philosophical, rather than merely developmental, explanation? This paper will argue that the Phaedo's arguments are operating in accordance with the method of hypothesis and as such are intended to function as something other than proofs. They progress inductively towards the understanding of the nature or essence or soul ultimately required for a demonstration of its immortality.

John A. Palmer III
Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Florida
Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, (Faculty of Classics), Cambridge University, 2014-2014

Friday, February 27, 2015, 4:00 p.m.
244B Cathedral of Learning

Reception following lecture in the Crogan-Schenley Room, 156 Cathedral of Learning