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THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA Turning the Whole Soul THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA Turning the Whole Soul: Platonic Myths of the Afterlife and Their Psychagogic Function A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Philosophy Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Joseph Michael Forte Washington, D.C. 2016 Turning the Whole Soul: Platonic Myths of the Afterlife and Their Psychagogic Function Joseph M. Forte, M.A., Ph.D. Matthias Vorwerk, Ph.D. Abstract Plato’s myths of the afterlife have, for centuries, puzzled scholars. This has been the case for a number of reasons, including but not limited to Plato’s (perhaps intentional) lack of clarity about the function of those myths in their respective dialogues. This study provides a systematic account of this function: the psychagogy, or soul-turning, that these myths provoke in their readers—that is, the multifaceted ways in which souls are led out of the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge by these powerful image-rich passages. In the course of this account, new light is shed on the very concept of psychagogy in Plato, as well as on what exactly constitutes a Platonic myth of the afterlife, and also on the ways in which the Republic can serve as an illuminating lens through which to read the Phaedo and Gorgias. The study begins by laying out its foundation in chapter 1: an understanding of Platonic myth situated in secondary scholarship, a working conception of what constitutes a Platonic myth of the afterlife, and an understanding of psychagogy that incorporates both its description in the Phaedrus and its expression in the psychology, epistemology, and metaphysics of the Republic. The account of the Republic focuses in particular on the tripartite soul (rational, spirited, and appetitive) and on the simile of the Line and the Allegory of the Cave, which provide the interpretive tools for the subsequent study of the myths. The central chapters (2-4) examine the concluding myths of the Republic, Phaedo, and Gorgias: the myth of Er, the “True Earth” myth, and the Gorgias myth of judgment, respectively. Each chapter proceeds first with a literal reading of the myth, showing how such a reading engages each aspect of the reader’s tripartite soul, while also leading the soul from mere conjecture to belief or true opinion—that is, from the lowest stage of knowledge according to the simile of the Divided Line and the Allegory of the Cave to the second lowest. The second major part of each central chapter is a figurative or metaphorical reading that shows how such an interpretation, while engaging each aspect of the tripartite soul, leads it further than belief or true opinion toward knowledge in the vast realm of intelligible (as opposed to physical) realities. Chapter 5 considers other mythical passages in Plato regarding the afterlife, from the Phaedrus, Meno, Laws, Timaeus, Apology, and Theatetus, explaining why these passages are essentially different from the three central myths of the study and, thus, why those three, and not the others, properly constitute Plato’s afterlife myths. The essential difference is the specific manner in which the psychagogy of the three central myths is carried out, which draws largely on the consummating function of these myths within their respective dialogues. The dissertation concludes with a chapter spelling out the contributions of the study in further detail. This dissertation by Joseph M. Forte fulfills the dissertation requirement for the doctoral degree in Philosophy approved by Matthias Vorwerk, Ph.D., as Director, and by Thérèse-Anne Druart, Ph.D., and Cristina Ionescu, Ph.D., as Readers. ______________________________ Matthias Vorwerk, Ph.D., Director ______________________________ Thérèse-Anne Druart, Ph.D., Reader ______________________________ Cristina Ionescu, Ph.D., Reader ii This dissertation is dedicated to my daughter, Laura Jeanmarie, my love for whom inspired me every day of this journey, and my wife, Elise Renee, my love and appreciation for whom I cannot possibly express in words. Her moral and emotional support provided an essential motivating foundation for me. iii CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE. Introduction 1.1. The Background, Motivation, and Purpose of this Study. 1 1.1.1 Background. 1 1.1.1.1 Basic Introduction to the Topic of This Inquiry. .1 1.1.1.2 Why Does Plato Write Myths? Different Approaches in Scholarship. .4 1.1.1.3 What is Platonic Psychagogy?. 5 1.1.1.4 An Overview of the Tools With Which the Afterlife Myths Function. .12 1.1.1.5 What is a Platonic Myth of the Afterlife?. 17 1.1.2 The Motivation, Purpose, and Originality of this Study. 25 1.2. The Turning of the Whole Soul. .27 1.2.1 Introduction. 27 1.2.2 What Is the Whole Soul According to Plato’s Republic?. .29 1.2.2.1 Republic 4: The Basic Distinctions (431b-443e). 29 1.2.2.2 Republic 6-10: Further Distinctions. 33 1.2.3 Details About the Interaction of the Soul’s Aspects According to the Republic. .44 1.2.3.1 Introduction. .44 1.2.3.2 The Desires of Rationality and Spirit. .46 1.2.3.3 The Rationality of Spirit and Appetite. .47 1.2.3.4 Conclusions. 51 1.2.4 The Turning of the Soul in its Ascent Through the Cave. .51 1.2.4.1 Introduction: Explanation of the Purpose of this Section. .51 1.2.4.2 The Simile of the Divided Line. 53 1.2.4.3 Eἰκασία and the Cave. .56 1.2.4.4 The Turn to ∏ίστις (Turn #1). .58 1.2.4.5 The Turn to ∆ιάνοια (Turn #2). 62 1.2.4.6 The Transition to Nόησις. 65 1.2.4.7 The Turn Back Into the Cave (Turn #3). .68 1.2.4.8 What, Exactly, Is the Turning of the Whole Soul?. .71 1.2.4.9 Conclusions. .76 CHAPTER TWO. Psychagogy and the Myth of Er 2.1 Introduction: Plato’s Criticism of Poetry: What Does it Mean for the Myth of Er?. .79 2.2 The Myth of Er as an Invitation to Belief: A Literal Interpretation. 82 2.2.1 The First Seven Days: On the Meadow of Souls. 82 2.2.2 Days Eight to Twelve of the Journey: The Souls See the Light. .94 2.2.3 Choose the Life of Philosophy. 98 2.3 Reading the Myth of Er Figuratively. 112 2.3.1 Discerning the Invitation to a Figurative Interpretation: 613b-616a. 112 iv 2.3.2 To the Light. .119 2.3.3 This Myth Can Save Us. 130 2.3.4 The Turn Back In. 135 2.3.5 Conclusions. .139 CHAPTER THREE. The True Earth and the Turning of the Whole Soul 3.1 Introduction. 142 3.2 The Context and Themes of the Phaedo in Relation to Its Final Myth. 143 3.3 Reading the Myth Literally: It is Right to Think That We Should Care Greatly For Our Souls 3.3.1 The Beginning of the Journey Yonder: Many Paths and Guides. 147 3.3.2 The True Earth. 148 3.3.3 The Judged Journey to Their Proper Places In, On, or Above the True Earth. 154 3.4 Reading the Phaedo Myth of Judgment Figuratively. 165 3.4.1 Discerning the Invitation to Interpret Metaphorically. 165 3.4.2 The True Earth Considered Metaphorically. 168 3.4.3 The Turn Back In to the Cave. .180 3.5 Conclusions. 182 CHAPTER FOUR. The Psychagogy of the Final Myth of the Gorgias 4.1 Introduction . 187 4.2 Context: “Mytho-Logos”. 187 4.3 Reading the Gorgias Myth of Judgment Literally. 188 4.4 Interpreting the Gorgias Myth Metaphorically. 200 4.5 The Turn Back In to the Cave. 205 4.6 The Gorgias Myth as Good Poetry and Good Writing. 206 4.7 Conclusion . 207 CHAPTER FIVE. Related Mythical Passages on the Afterlife in Plato’s Dialogues 5.1 Introduction. 210 v 5.2 Phaedrus 244a-257d: The Second Speech: A Palinode in Honor of Love. .212 5.3 Meno 81a-e: The Mythical Introduction of Recollection. 221 5.4 Laws 903a-905c: Persuading Those Who Think the Gods Do Not Care for Humans. 228 5.5 Timaeus 41a-44c: The Birth of Humanity. 234 5.6 Apology 40d-41b: Socrates Consoles Friends and Admirers With Words About His Fate. 239 5.7 Theatetus 176a-177b. 244 5.8 Conclusions . .247 CHAPTER SIX. Conclusions 6.1 Similarities and Differences Among the Three Central Myths. 248 6.2 Casting New Light on What Constitutes a Platonic Myth of the Afterlife. 251 6.3 New Light on the Nature of Psychagogy. 252 6.4 From Platonic Education to Modern Education. 255 6.5 Mῦθος and Λόγος. 259 6.6 The Republic and Phaedrus Reflected in the Phaedo and Gorgias. .260 Appendix 1: The Parts of the Soul Broken Down. ..
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