Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Doctor of Philosophy, Khatam University
Abstract
In the dialogue of Phaedrus, after stating the argument of the immortality of the soul and the relationship between the nature of the soul and love, a context is provided for the description of the myth of the winged chariot. In this myth, Socrates mentions eschatological elements and related to it, such as the journey of the soul before birth and its descent, how to educate and guide the soul, observe and knowledge forms, and finally the reason for the importance of philosophical life which is freed from the cycle of reincarnation and Happiness is related. The topics raised in this myth, including the duality of human existence, descent and reincarnation in different forms, the cause of forgetting and how to remember forms, seem to be reminiscent of some Orphic and Pythagorean schatological doctrins. In the previous researches, only the description and analysis of some elements of the myth of Phaedrus have been discussed and no comparison has been made with Orphic and Pythagorean doctrins. Qavam Safari in the article "Anamnesis and the myth of the circulation of souls" comes to the conclusion that the souls have not seen all the forms in the heavenly circulation, and everyone can achieve a level of intellectual power in proportion to viewing the forms. In two articles, «A Glance at the Nature of Human Soul and How It Belongs to the Body According to Fiderous and Hekmat al-Eshraq» and «The Agreement of Suhrawardi and Plato’s Symbolic Expression in respect of the Self-Knowledge as the Beginning of Philosophical Practice» the necessity of self-knowledge and remembering the divine gem of the soul according to Plato and the soul's effort to become godlike as the peak of human perfection and happiness have been discussed. Therefore, in this article, with a descriptive-analytical approach, we are trying to answer these questions, what is the reason for Plato's use of myth in the dialogue of Phaedrus? Was he influenced by Orphic and Pythagorean doctrins in expressing some elements such as the duality of human existence, descent, reincarnation, the cause of forgetting and how to remember forms? Does Plato mean descent in the dialogue of Phaedrus, initial descent? How does the soul lose its divine position and get caught in the cycle of reincarnation? And what is the role of memory and remembering forms in the liberation of the soul? And what is the role of memory and remembering forms in the liberation of the soul?
Plato's schatological myths, including the philosophical myth of Phaedrus, are an attempt to express the truth of the soul, the importance of human will, the distinction between philosophical and non-philosophical life, and the possibility of gaining knowledge and insight into forms, love and happiness. It is not unlikely that the reason for Plato's use of myth in the Phaedrus dialogue is to express a meaningful truth about the human soul that could not be reached through Logos. Therefore, this myth could be a good substitute for dialectical arguments. Therefore, Plato, along with some traditional myths, creates a philosophical myth to express his philosophical discussions (schatological and epistemological) and by mixing philosophy and myth, to explain his approach to the soul and its attempt to achieve forms. In the myth of Phaedrus, Plato explains what problems arise while trying to see forms and that the only way to reach them is through philosophical love. In this myth, he has given great importance to self-knowledge and awareness, because it is a basis for understanding the divine position of the soul and trying to be like the gods, which is also of special importance in Pythagorean and Orphic doctrins. According to the approach of these two traditions and Plato's explanations, it seems that the soul is disturbed in the absence of self-knowledge and is unable to remember, as a result, it is caught in reincarnation. But due to self-knowledge, he is able to order his soul and as a result remember the forms, free himself from the cycle of reincarnation and reach his essence.
When Socrates, in the myth of Phaedrus, explains the ascension and descent of souls based on the degree of seeing forms, he strengthens the hypothesis that he means the initial descent of souls, which is derived from Orphic-Pythagorean doctrins. Because he talks about souls who have partial vision due to the lack of control of the evil component, or even some of them cannot see the forms, and since meditating on those forms provides the conditions through which the wings of the soul are cultivated, such souls lose their own wings and fall to the ground. If we consider every soul to have only good components during the initial descent, firstly, it is not compatible with Plato's approach in the same myth - which considers man to have a three-part soul, and secondly, if we consider the soul to have only good components during the heavenly course and before the initial descent What is the need for the wings of the soul to be broken and not be able to see the forms, and what is the difference with the gods who ascend easily?
According to the details of the myth of Phaedrus and its comparison with Orphic and Pythagorean doctrins, it seems that Plato was partially influenced by these two traditions in expressing the doctrins of the divinity of the soul, reincarnation and remembrance.
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