The dichotomy between truth and appearance, and the devaluation of appearance, is rooted in pre-Socratic philosophy. Just as Plato leant upon Heraclitus’ flux for his conception of the sensible world of appearance (the world as we see it), so he leant upon Parmenides’ unity for his conception of the intelligible world (the world when we think it), which he rendered as the ideal, immutable realm of the Forms.

Plato’s authorship spanned some fifty years, from the death of Socrates in 399 BCE to his own death in c. 348. He is traditionally ascribed with 35 dialogues, although around ten of these may be spurious. Today, the dialogues are often classified into three periods, early, middle, and late, based on their presumed order of composition.

The early dialogues are relatively short and accessible. They are sometimes referred to as the Socratic dialogues because they set forth more of the historical Socrates, typically debating ethical subjects such as temperance, courage, or friendship with youths, friends, or a supposed expert.

From these beginnings, Plato gradually developed distinct philosophical ideas, such as his Theory of Forms, which features in middle dialogues such as the Phaedo, Symposium, and Republic. In these long, literary dialogues, the character Socrates is less of the historical Socrates and more of a mouthpiece for Plato. He is accordingly more didactic, putting forth positive doctrines and no longer content merely to question and refute. Other middle dialogue doctrines that are unlikely to owe to Socrates include the Theory of Recollection, the Theory of Reincarnation, and the Theory of the Tripartite Soul—which are each connected to the Forms.

The Phaedo is named for........

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