Socrates on Forms and Reality

Simmias agrees with Socrates that the soul exists before birth but not necessarily that it lives on after death. Socrates responds that Forms are non-composite and unchanging, while real things, like people or clothes, are composite and always changing. He divides reality into the visible (the body) and the invisible (the soul). The soul becomes wise by rejecting the body’s desires. Socrates argues that the invisible part of life, being divine and deathless, contrasts with the body, which dissolves easily. A pure soul, gained through knowledge, will dwell with the gods after death.