Phaedo

We observe, first of all, that the dialogue is put into the mouth of a Pythagorean philosopher, and not of Socrates.

And this is required by dramatic propriety, for the investigation of nature was expressly renounced by Socrates in the Phaedo, 96 and following.

Nor does Plato himself attribute any importance to his guesses at science.

He is not at all absorbed by them, as he is by the idea of good.

Grote, see page 19 of his pamphlet on the rotation of the earth, from Aristotle De Silo, book 3, chapter 13, Enneo Grafitico, and chapter 14, Hemia Meson, clearly shows, although this is a matter of minor importance, that Aristotle, as Proclus and Simplicius supposed, understood Elestheo in the Timaeus to mean revolving.

For the second passage, in which the motion on an axis is expressly mentioned, refers to the first, but this would be unmeaning unless the este in the first passage meant rotation on an axis.

The immutability of the earth is more in accordance with Plato's other writing than the opposite hypothesis, for in the Phaedo the earth is described as the centre of the world, and is not said to be in motion.

In the Republic the pilgrims appear to be looking out from the earth upon the motions of the heavenly bodies.

All the time they are flowing their water forms a compact mass, but when it arrives at a vast wide place it quickly and imperceptibly evaporates.

But the theory of the Phaedo about rivers and the sea is impossible.

There it is said that the earth is pierced by intercommunicating channels, and that the original head and source of all waters is what is called Tartarus, a mass of water about the centre, from which all waters flowing and standing are derived.

This primary and original water is always surging to and fro, and so it causes the rivers to flow on this side of the earth's centre and on that; for it has no fixed seat, but is always oscillating about the centre.

We observe, first of all, that the dialogue is put into the mouth of a Pythagorean philosopher, and not of Socrates.

And this is required by dramatic propriety, for the investigation of nature was expressly renounced by Socrates in the Phaedo, 96 and following.

Nor does Plato himself attribute any importance to his guesses at science.

He is not at all absorbed by them, as he is by the idea of good.

The comparison of the two passages quoted by Mr. Grote, see page 19 of his pamphlet on the rotation of the earth, from Aristotle De Celo book 3 chapter 13 and Neo Grafitico and chapter 14 Hemia Meson clearly shows, although this is a matter of minor importance, that Aristotle, as Procleus and Simpliclius supposed, understood Illustheo in the Timaeus to mean revolving.

For the second passage in which the motion on an axis is expressly mentioned refers to the first, but this would be unmeaning unless Illusthe in the first passage meant rotation on an axis.

The immutability of the earth is more in accordance with Plato's other writing than the opposite hypothesis, for in the Phaedo the earth is described as the centre of the world and is not said to be in motion.

In the Republic the pilgrims appear to be looking out from the earth upon the motions of the heavenly bodies.

We observe, first of all, that the dialogue is put into the mouth of a Pythagorean philosopher, and not of Socrates.

And this is required by dramatic propriety, for the investigation of nature was expressly renounced by Socrates in the Phaedo, 96 and following.

Nor does Plato himself attribute any importance to his guesses at science.

He is not at all absorbed by them, as he is by the idea of good.

But this would be unmeaning unless the este in the first passage meant rotation on an axis.

The immutability of the earth is more in accordance with Plato's other writing than the opposite hypothesis.

For in the Phaedo, the earth is described as the center of the world, and is not said to be in motion.

In the Republic, the pilgrims appear to be looking out from the earth upon the motions of the heavenly bodies.

How many persons, struck by Mr. Emerson's exalted praise of the writings of Plato, have undertaken to go through the dialogues? Alas, for the vain ambition to be or to seem learned.

After trying to understand the Phaedo or falling asleep over the Gorgias, the book has been dropped as hastily as it was taken up.

It was not perceived that in order to enjoy or comprehend a philosopher, one must have a capacity for ideas.

It requires almost as much intelligence to appreciate an idea as to conceive one.

Homer uses it in the Iliad.

Plato uses it in other dialogues, such as Phaedo.

It is not used in Plato's Atlantis text.

So that's something where we've learned that Atlantis, the original theory from Ignatius Donnelly, where Atlantis was probably somewhere in the area of the Azores.

Persons of the dialogue.

Phaedo, who is the narrator of the dialogue to Echocrates of Phaeus.

Socrates, Apollodorus, Simeus, Cebes, Crito, and an attendant of the prison.

Scene, the prison of Socrates.

Place of the narration, Phaeus.

Echocrates.

Were you yourself, Phaedo, in the prison with Socrates on the day when he drank the poison? Yes, at Socrates I was.

I should so like to hear about his death.