Socrates’ Life, and His View on Death
Why was he unafraid in the face of imminent death?
There are some things everyone is scared of. Spiders, pain, death. But not Socrates (I mean the death part, he was probably just as scared of the other two). In fact, when Socrates’ time came (or was scheduled), he was actually in a good mood. He said that since he’s lived his life in a good way, he had no reason to fear death. For a true philosopher, death was a good thing and should be welcomed.
Socrates' Life
Here’s a recap. Socrates is regarded by many as the founder of western philosophy. He lived from 469 to 399 B.C. in Athens. And he had a (pesky, as some call it) habit of questioning everyone and everything. A lesser-known fun fact is that he also served as a soldier (with distinction). His family was moderately wealthy. He embodied the ‘exemplary but eccentric’ stereotype that is assumed for most philosophers. He was keenly interested in learning and was an inherently curious individual, right from his youth. He constantly questioned every notion and assumption about wisdom, virtue and a ‘good’ life. He was against democracy, and it is believed that frequent ridicule by him on the subject led to his trial. Later, he was charged for worshipping ‘false’ gods, instead of the Athenian gods, and for leading the youth astray with his unconventional ideas. There is speculation about the reasons being more socio-political than formally portrayed. At the age of 70, Socrates drank lethal hemlock and died.
He did not preserve any of his musings in written form, so all our knowledge of him comes through the work of his contemporaries and disciples, like Plato.
The Socratic Method
Now widely popular, his style of teaching — the Socratic method — involves dialogues between the teacher and the disciples. The teacher starts the discussion with thought-provoking questions that elicit responses and questions from the disciples. This discussion continues until the disciples reach a clear understanding of the concept.
The Two Possible Fates
Returning to his notion of death, Socrates claimed that a moral person like him had no reason to fear death. Fear was no competition for his ability to argue. To justify (or rather, explain) his nonchalance in the face of imminent death, Socrates claimed that there were only two possible fates:
- Death is a dreamless sleep, and he added, jokingly, that he ‘could use some rest.’
- Death is a passage to another place, where the people who died in the past can be found. He thought the opportunity to converse with great thinkers of the past would be amazing.
Hades
What I found particularly interesting was Socrates’ view of the afterlife, or Hades. It matched the description of Athens, with disembodied minds (instead of people with physical bodies). He thought (and I agree) that this would be a welcomed change, as bodies can be a real pain (think of all the upkeep they require, and the pain caused by diseases/accidents). This would leave a chance for uninterrupted, endless philosophical musings, that too with all of the greatest thinkers of the past. This is why Socrates advised nurturing the mind during life, because it’s the only part one gets to keep forever (if there is an afterlife).
So, from his point of view, death is not to be feared, but to be welcomed. If the first theory is true, then death is the total cessation of sensation. Dreamless sleep is neither good nor bad, as these things only matter in the presence of sensation. If the second theory is true, then death is actually a relief, as it rids us of the pains of having a body, but retains the wonders of the mind, which facilitates philosophical thought.
