88c - 95a Summary and Analysis

Phaedo and Echecrates begin reflecting on the conversation, noting that Phaedo and some others were disappointed by Socrates's arguments. On the one hand, both Phaedo and Echecrates want more argument on the soul surviving the death of the body. Phaedo mentions that Socrates was aware of the need for further argument. So he continues the story.

Socrates maintains that there is no greater evil than hating reasonable discourse. So he must address the worries of Simmias and Cebes. He maintains that just because argument is difficult, one must not come to hate argument. He also notes that he is mostly concerned with convincing himself, since believing that one survives death is a good thing to believe before one dies.

The argument continues. First, Socrates asks Cebes and Simmias how their views evolved after the last argument. Simmias...