Plato’s Phaedo has never failed to attract the attention of philosophers and scholars. Yet the history of its reception in Antiquity has been little studied. The present volume therefore proposes to examine not only the Platonic exegetical tradition surrounding this dialogue, which culminates in the commentaries of Damascius and Olympiodorus, but also its place in the reflections of the rival Peripatetic, Stoic, and Sceptical schools. This volume thus aims to shed light on the surviving commentaries and their sources, as well as on less familiar aspects of the history of the Phaedo’s ancient reception. By doing so, it may help to clarify what ancient interpreters of Plato can and cannot offer their contemporary counterparts.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

�I wish that you would tell me about his death. What did he say in his last hours? We were informed that he died by taking poison, but no one knew anything more; for no Phliasian ever goes to Athens now, and a long time has elapsed since any Athenian found his way to Phlius, and therefore we had no clear account. Phaed. Did you not hear of the proceedings at the trial? Ech. Yes; someone told us about the trial, and we could not understand why, having been condemned, he was put to death, as appeared, not at the time, but long afterwards. What was the reason of this? Phaed. An accident, Echecrates. The reason was that the stern of the ship which the Athenians send to Delos happened to have been crowned on the day before he was tried. Ech. What is this ship?�

Along with the Republic and the Symposium, Plato's Phaedo is one of the three important works of ancient Greek philosophy. The discussion is given from the viewpoint of Phaedo of Elis, a pupil of Socrates who was there when he died. The debate from that day is related by Phaedo to the Pythagorean philosopher Echecrates. The Cyclical Argument, also known as the Opposites Argument, argues that since Forms are timeless and unchangeable and since the soul continuously sustains life, it must not expire and is thus ineluctably "imperishable." The soul must be the indestructible opposite of the body since the latter is mortal and prone to physical death. Plato then offers the comparison of cold and fire. According to the Theory of Recollection, humans are born with some non-empirical information, which implies that the soul existed before birth to store that knowledge. Another explanation of the notion may be found in Plato's Meno, albeit Socrates makes less strong claims in Meno than he does in Phaedo. The Affinity Argument demonstrates how things that are unseen, eternal, and incorporeal differ from those that are visible, mortal, and corporeal. Since the soul is a component of the Form of Life by nature, it is immortal and cannot pass away.

Phaedo also known to ancient readers as On The Soul, is one of the best-known dialogues of Plato's middle period, along with the Republic and the Symposium. The Phaedo, which depicts the death of Socrates, is also Plato's fourth and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days, following Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito.

The belief in the immortality of the soul has been described as one of the “twin pillars of Platonism” and is famously defended by Socrates in Plato’s Phaedo. The ancient commentaries on the dialogue by Olympiodorus and Damascius offer a unique perspective on the reception of this belief in the Platonic tradition. Through a detailed discussion of topics such as suicide, the life of the philosopher and arguments for immortality, this study demonstrates the commentators’ serious engagement with problems in Plato’s text as well as the dialogue's importance to Neoplatonic ethics. The book will be of interest to students of Plato and the Platonic tradition, and to those working on ancient ethics and psychology.

Phædo also known to ancient readers as On The Soul, is one of the best-known dialogues of Plato's middle period, along with the Republic and the Symposium. The philosophical subject of the dialogue is the immortality of the soul. It is set in the last hours prior to the death of Socrates, and is Plato's fourth and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days, following Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito.