Phaedo book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Part 1

1. Does Socrates' calm about death seem like wisdom, or could it mean something else?
2. What might Socrates' friends hope to achieve by questioning his calm?
3. How much should readiness for death depend on whether souls survive?
4. Is it fair for friends to challenge someone's calm when facing death?
5. What connection between wisdom and the body would you want this discussion to explore?

Meeting 2: Parts 2 to 3

6. What makes doubt reasonable even after someone has offered arguments?
7. How convincing could recollection be as support for the soul's survival, and what would you ask Socrates to explain?
8. What would Socrates need to show for unchanging realities to support the soul's survival?
9. What role, if any, should philosophical discipline play in deciding whether an argument is convincing?
10. How should Simmias and Cebes weigh unsettling their listeners against raising challenges they think matter?

Meeting 3: Parts 4 to 5

11. What would make the connection between causes and immortal life convincing to you?
12. Should moral responsibility depend on immortal life, or can it stand without it?
13. How should readers weigh a description of worlds beyond ordinary human sight?
14. What does placing an account of judgment after death before the farewells bring to the scene?
15. Does Socrates' calm make his friends' grief easier to understand, harder to understand, or neither?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.