From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordAnōlethros denies destruction.
- In StobaeusThe Phaedo excerpt makes the extra step explicit: if what is immortal is also indestructible, soul possesses both properties; otherwise another argument is needed.
- In this editionKeep “indestructible” distinct from “immortal” when both occur.
- A place to beginThe dialogue distinguishes immortality from the further premise of indestructibility.
- English renderings
- indestructible; not liable to destruction
Meaning
Anōlethros denies destruction. In arguments about soul, it can express a stronger conclusion than the initial assertion that soul does not admit death.
Use in the book
The Phaedo excerpt makes the extra step explicit: if what is immortal is also indestructible, soul possesses both properties; otherwise another argument is needed. The interlocutor accepts the additional premise by appealing to the everlasting character of the immortal. The sequence matters because the conclusion is not obtained merely by exchanging synonymous English words.
Places to read
- I.49.16.6The dialogue distinguishes immortality from the further premise of indestructibility.
Translation in this edition
Keep “indestructible” distinct from “immortal” when both occur. Their relationship is precisely what the speakers are discussing.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 342. The argument is conditional before the interlocutor’s assent; that qualification belongs to its philosophical structure.