Without the Least Tremor: The Sacrifice of Socrates in Plato's Phaedo (SUNY Series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy)

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 memorialization of Socrates. Yet in a powerful moment, Socrates's death deviates from a sacrifice as he drinks the __pharmakon__ "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 __eikon__ 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 "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. 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 memorialization of Socrates. Yet in a powerful moment, Socrates's death deviates from a sacrifice as he drinks the pharmakon "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. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Chapter One: Weaving and Unweaving the Fabric of Sacrifice 12 Chapter Two: A Description of Greek Sacrificial Ritual 30 Chapter Three: Sacrificing Socrates: The Mise-en-Sc猫ne of the Death Scene of the Phaedo 62 Chapter Four: The Search for the Most Fitting Cause 84 Chapter Five: The So-Called Genuine Philosophers and the Work of Soul 108 Chapter Six: Athens at Twilight 144 Notes 156 Bibliography 168 Ancient Sources 168 Modern Sources 169 Index 178 Weaving and unweaving the fabric of sacrifice -- A description of Greek sacrificial ritual -- Sacrificing Socrates: the mise-en-scène of the death scene of the Phaedo -- The search for the most fitting cause -- The so-called genuine philosophers and the work of soul -- Athens at twilight.