Souls that have been pre‑eminent in holiness, and especially those purified by philosophy, are released from the ‘earthly prison’ of the body and go to a pure home above, dwelling in a purer earth; the philosophically purified live altogether without bodies in indescribably fair mansions.

By Plato, from Phaedo

Key Arguments

  • Socrates says that ‘Those too who have been pre-eminent for holiness of life are released from this earthly prison, and go to their pure home which is above, and dwell in the purer earth,’ affirming both liberation from embodiment and an upward migration to a higher realm.
  • Within this class he singles out ‘such as have duly purified themselves with philosophy’ and claims they ‘live henceforth altogether without the body,’ marking the philosophical life as uniquely capable of securing full disembodiment.
  • He adds that these souls live ‘in mansions fairer still which may not be described, and of which the time would fail me to tell,’ suggesting both the superiority and inexpressibility of their ultimate state, in line with his earlier depiction of the ‘upper earth’ and communion with the divine.

Source Quotes

And if they prevail, then they come forth and cease from their troubles; but if not, they are carried back again into Tartarus and from thence into the rivers unceasingly, until they obtain mercy from those whom they have wronged: for that is the sentence inflicted upon them by their judges. Those too who have been pre-eminent for holiness of life are released from this earthly prison, and go to their pure home which is above, and dwell in the purer earth; and of these, such as have duly purified themselves with philosophy live henceforth altogether without the body, in mansions fairer still which may not be described, and of which the time would fail me to tell. Wherefore, Simmias, seeing all these things, what ought not we to do that we may obtain virtue and wisdom in this life?

Key Concepts

  • Those too who have been pre-eminent for holiness of life are released from this earthly prison, and go to their pure home which is above, and dwell in the purer earth
  • and of these, such as have duly purified themselves with philosophy live henceforth altogether without the body, in mansions fairer still which may not be described, and of which the time would fail me to tell.

Context

As he completes the eschatological survey of post‑mortem fates, Socrates describes the highest destiny reserved for saintly and especially philosophical souls, reinforcing his earlier thesis that philosophy is a ‘practice of dying’ and purification from the body.