a person loves thebody, he becomes more like body, and this holds on to the soul afterdeath; then, he will be reborn as a lower form of life. If a person loves thesoul, he becomes more like soul, and, the purified soul can escape afterdeath and rise to the heavens. Simmias suggests that the soul and body are analogous to harmony andthe lyre. Harmony is invisible, without body, and divine, while the lyre isvisible, material, and earthly. But when the lyre is broken, or the stringscut, the harmony dies. Thus, when the body is broken and dies, the souldies too. Cebes offers another objection: he compares the soul to a coatmade by a weaver. The weaver wears the coat until he dies, and thensomeone else wears it. The coat may outlast many men who wear it, butfinally is worn out and dies. The same could apply to the soul; it may bereborn several times and outlast several bodies, but it will finally perish.Socrates argues that harmony is not like the soul. First, he remindsSimmias that he has already agreed that knowledge is recollection, andthat the soul exists prior to this life. Therefore, the soul exists before thebody. However, the harmony of a lyre exists only after the existence ofthe lyre. Another difference between harmony and the soul is that the lyrecauses and controls the harmony. However, the soul is not led by thebody, but the other way around. Also, Socrates argues that harmony hasdegrees and can be more or less harmonious. This is not the case with thesoul. Socrates says that in order to refute Cebes’ objection, he will haveto discuss the process of generation and corruption, which involves thenatural sciences. He proceeds to scientifically explain the reason for hissitting in jail as the contraction of muscles and positioning of bones, butthe real reason is that society has sentenced him to death, and he haschosen not to escape. Socrates again refers to the theory of forms as thecause of all things. Ideas exist and other...
