Bessarion’s Interpretation of the Third Proof for the Immortality of the Soul in Plato’s Phaedo (78b4-80c1)
Published:
Mar 25, 2020
Keywords:
Bessarion; Plato; Phaedo; Immortality of the Soul; Argument from Affinity; Theory of Ideas; Gemistus Pletho; Byzantine Philosophy
Abstract
This article examines the philosophical contribution of Cardinal Bessarion, a prominent 15th-century scholar of the Greek diaspora, regarding the immortality of the soul. The author focuses specifically on Bessarion’s interpretation of the "Argument from Affinity" found in Plato’s Phaedo (78b4-80c1). The study explores how Bessarion, a student of Gemistus Pletho, defended Platonic philosophy against Aristotelian critiques of the era. The analysis details the distinction between the composite, visible, and perishable nature of the body versus the incomposite, invisible, and divine nature of the soul. By aligning the soul with the eternal and unchanging realm of Ideas, Bessarion provides a methodical study that bridges Eastern and Western theological and philosophical traditions, asserting the soul's kinship with the divine.
Article Details
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Theodoropoulou, A. (2020). Bessarion’s Interpretation of the Third Proof for the Immortality of the Soul in Plato’s Phaedo (78b4-80c1) . Ηθική. Περιοδικό φιλοσοφίας, (11), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.12681/ethiki.22761
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