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I am reading the book of Bart Ehrman's Heaven and Hell. In there, I might have hit some controversies that may not be controversies at all, but my mind can't decide.

In Apology, socrate says:

Death is one of two things. Either it is annihilation, and the dead have no consciousness of anything, or, as we are told, it is really a change — a migration of the soul from this place to another.

What's interesting is Socrates uses the saying: "If what we're told is true" when talking about souls going to another place. This brings a controversy whether socrates himself believed that after life exists or not. "If what we're told is true" kind of confirms that Socrates is not sure that after life exists.

In phaedo, there's a myth portrayed about what happens when soul goes to after life - i.e when they meet Tarturus or go to acherusian lake.

Question: Who tells the story of this myth ? Is it socrates or Plato ? If it's socrates, then can you explain why he would say this if he is not sure about whether after life exists or not ? Remember his words in apology about souls: "if what we're told is true". Bart in his book says that it's socrates that tells this story.

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    Generally speaking its not very useful to separate Socrates and Plato since we have little data of Socrates outside of what Plato wrote. And Plato identified so strongly with Socrates as his teacher (guru) that even if Plato pushes his own thoughts into Socrates' mouth he does it with the sense This is what Socrates would/might say... This answer is somewhat in the same direction
    – Rushi
    Commented May 4 at 8:24
  • Thanks for your answer. My confusion is that if socrates really described after life journey(Tarturus or go to acherusian lake), then he must have believed in after life ? If so, why would he say in apology - "if what we are told is true" about soul migration ? "if what we are told is true" definitely confirms even more that he is hedging and doesn't believe in after life
    – irma magradze
    Commented May 4 at 8:46
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    hedge ≠ believe; Also hedge ≠ dont believe. In fact hedge ≠ "I dont know" which is really Socrates trademark. Hedge is a protection gesture whereas I-dont-know is an openness gesture. Socrates asserts that death holds for him no fear because he does not know what it entails And how can one fear an unknown entity? He in fact gently chides those near him for weeping because they are falling into the error of imagining they know and therefore concocting fear in themselves and sorrow towards Socrates
    – Rushi
    Commented May 4 at 8:55
  • Ah, so in your opinion, just because he hedged by:"if what we are told is true", that doesn't mean he doesn't believe in after life. Got it. but if "Socrates asserts that death holds for him no fear because he does not know what it entails", since he doesn't know, then after-life journey myth dialogue by him is just what he believes ? I guess, we could entail that socrates believed in after-life and myth he proposed is how he looks at after life - i.e so I guess, my most important question is: he believed in hell-heaven, didn't he ?
    – irma magradze
    Commented May 4 at 9:13
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    @ScottRowe So it's not worth asking a question about what Socrates believed ? you mention that 100,000,000,000 humans have been born after that which is true, but 99.99% of them are uninteresting people that don't interest me(including you) or anyone learning philosophy. I am sorry but that's the truth :)
    – irma magradze
    Commented May 4 at 12:40

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