Along with the Republic and the Symposium, Plato's Phaedo is one of the three important works of ancient Greek philosophy. The discussion is given from the viewpoint of Phaedo of Elis, a pupil of Socrates who was there when he died. The debate from that day is related by Phaedo to the Pythagorean philosopher Echecrates. The Cyclical Argument, also known as the Opposites Argument, argues that since Forms are timeless and unchangeable and since the soul continuously sustains life, it must not expire and is thus ineluctably "imperishable." The soul must be the indestructible opposite of the body since the latter is mortal and prone to physical death. Plato then offers the comparison of cold and fire. According to the Theory of Recollection, humans are born with some non-empirical information, which implies that the soul existed before birth to store that knowledge. Another explanation of the notion may be found in Plato's Meno, albeit Socrates makes less strong claims in Meno than he does in Phaedo. The Affinity Argument demonstrates how things that are unseen, eternal, and incorporeal differ from those that are visible, mortal, and corporeal. Since the soul is a component of the Form of Life by nature, it is immortal and cannot pass away.
During the Classical era of ancient Greece, the philosopher Plato was born in Athens. He established the Academy, the first university on the European continent, as well as the Platonist school of philosophy. His interpretation of Plotinus had a significant impact on both Islam and Christianity. His theory of Forms, sometimes known as Platonism, is his most well-known contribution. He is also the inspiration for the Platonic solids and Platonic love. Plato was one of the most important figures in the ancient world, and his body of work is said to have persisted unaltered for more than 2,400 years. Even though little of his predecessors' writings have survived, it is believed that he had a significant impact on the works of Socrates, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, and Parmenides. On a tract of land in the Grove of Hecademus or Academus, a mythical Attic figure, Plato built it. The Academy remained in operation until Lucius Cornelius Sulla demolished it in 84 BC. Seneca claims that Plato passed away on the day of his birth at the age of 81. The Suda reports that he lived to be 82 years old, but Neanthes states that he was 84 years old. Tertullian said that Plato merely passed away while sleeping. By will, Plato bequeathed his Iphistiadae land to a younger relative.
