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Single Idea 149

[filed under theme 28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 5. Atheism ]

Full Idea

There is not a single sound reason for positing the existence of such a being who is immortal

Gist of Idea

There isn't a single reason for positing the existence of immortal beings

Source

Plato (Phaedrus [c.366 BCE], 246d)

Book Ref

Plato: 'Phaedrus and Letters VII and VIII', ed/tr. Hamilton,Walter [Penguin 1973], p.51

The 24 ideas from 'Phaedrus'

23997 Plato saw emotions and appetites as wild horses, in need of taming [Plato, by Goldie]
143 The two ruling human principles are the natural desire for pleasure, and an acquired love of virtue [Plato]
144 Reason impels us towards excellence, which teaches us self-control [Plato]
146 Soul is always in motion, so it must be self-moving and immortal [Plato]
148 If the prime origin is destroyed, it will not come into being again out of anything [Plato]
9296 The soul is self-motion [Plato]
149 There isn't a single reason for positing the existence of immortal beings [Plato]
150 We cannot conceive of God, so we have to think of Him as an immortal version of ourselves [Plato]
151 True knowledge is of the reality behind sense experience [Plato]
152 The mind of God is fully satisfied and happy with a vision of reality and truth [Plato]
153 It takes a person to understand, by using universals, and by using reason to create a unity out of sense-impressions [Plato]
154 We would have an overpowering love of knowledge if we had a pure idea of it - as with the other Forms [Plato]
155 Beauty is the clearest and most lovely of the Forms [Plato]
156 Bad people are never really friends with one another [Plato]
157 Most pleasure is release from pain, and is therefore not worthwhile [Plato]
158 An excellent speech seems to imply a knowledge of the truth in the mind of the speaker [Plato]
159 Only a good philosopher can be a good speaker [Plato]
7953 Reasoning needs to cut nature accurately at the joints [Plato]
16121 I revere anyone who can discern a single thing that encompasses many things [Plato]
160 The highest ability in man is the ability to discuss unity and plurality in the nature of things [Plato]
162 Can we understand an individual soul without knowing the soul in general? [Plato]
165 If the apparent facts strongly conflict with probability, it is in everyone's interests to suppress the facts [Plato]
166 A speaker should be able to divide a subject, right down to the limits of divisibility [Plato]
5946 'Phaedrus' pioneers the notion of philosophical rhetoric [Lawson-Tancred on Plato]