Without the least tremor
Subtitle: the sacrifice of Socrates in Plato's Phaedo
By: M. Ross Romero, S.J.
Series: SUNY series in contemporary Continental philosophy
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 176
ISBN-13: 9781438460192; 9781438460208
Subjects: Death and burial; Immortality (Philosophy); Soul
Description: "In Without the Least Tremor, M. Ross Romero considers the death of Socrates as a sacrificial act rather than an execution, and analyzes the implications of such an understanding for the meaning of the Phaedo. Plato's recounting of Socrates's death fits many of the conventions of ancient Greek sacrificial ritual. Among these are the bath, the procession, Socrates's appearance as a bull, the libation, the offering of a rooster to Asclepius, the treatment of Socrates's body and corpse, and Phaedo's menorialization of Socrates. Yet in a powerful moment, Socrates's death deviates from a sacrifice as he drinks the pharmokon "without the least tremor." Developing the themes of suffering and wisdom as they connect to this scene, Romero demonstrates how the embodied Socrates is setting forth an eikôn of the death of the philosopher. Drawing on comparisons with tragedy and comedy, he argues that Socrates's death is more fittingly described as self-sacrifice than merely an execution or suicide. After considering the implications of these themes for the soul's immortality and its relationship to the body, the book concludes with an exploration of the place of sacrifice within ethical life"--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Weaving and unweaving the fabric of sacrifice; title: A description of Greek sacrificial ritual; title: Sacrificing Socrates: the mise-en-scène of the death scene of the Phaedo; title: The search for the most fitting cause; title: The so-called genuine philosophers and the work of soul; title: Athens at twilight.