Two Deaths, One Rooster: Competing Interpretations of Socrates’ Final Words

1. Introduction

In Phaedo, Socrates’ enigmatic final words—“I owe the sacrifice of a rooster to Asklepios; will you pay that debt and not neglect to do so?”—have inspired profound philosophical inquiry. This seemingly simple statement encapsulates themes of life, death, and transcendence, leading to divergent interpretations. Gregory Nagy, in A Rooster for Asklepios: The Death and Life of Socrates, sees the reference to the god of healing as a testament to the resilience of life through the enduring power of dialogue, or logos. Friedrich Nietzsche, however, critiques this moment in Twilight of the Idols, interpreting it as evidence of Socrates’ ultimate disillusionment with life, declaring, “Even Socrates had had enough.” These contrasting interpretations frame the tension between two philosophical legacies: one celebrating renewal and continuity, the other exposing resignation and a rejection of vitality. This article explores how these perspectives reflect broader attitudes toward existence and mortality.

2. Contextual Background

The setting of Socrates’ death, as described in Phaedo, is one of solemnity and philosophical reflection.  As the hemlock takes its toll, Socrates calmly requests that his followers offer a rooster to Asklepios, the Greek deity associated with healing and renewal. This god’s cult was known for rituals of “sacred incubation,” a metaphor for the cycle of life, where participants sought cures and insights through dreams, symbolizing a connection between death and rebirth.

The rooster, traditionally sacrificed in gratitude for healing, is laden with symbolic weight, representing both the acknowledgment of life’s cyclical nature and the hope for transcendence. While Nagy interprets the ritual as affirming the renewal of intellectual and spiritual life, Nietzsche views the act as a resignation to suffering. The philosopher’s acceptance of death, Nietzsche suggests, signifies not healing but the culmination of a life that has grown weary of its burdens.

3. Nagy’s Perspective: Resurrection and Renewal

Nagy interprets Socrates’ final request as an expression of gratitude for the enduring cycle of life and the immortality of ideas. The act of invoking Asklepios, he argues, symbolizes not merely physical healing but the resurrection of logos—the dynamic and continuous nature of dialogue and intellectual pursuit.

This reading casts Socrates’ composed embrace of death as confidence in the perpetuity of wisdom, rather than disillusionment with existence. The rooster, associated with the dawn, becomes a metaphor for the renewal of philosophical inquiry—a cycle that outlives the body and persists in the minds of others. Nagy further connects this idea to the practices at the sanctuary of Asklepios in Epidaurus, where rituals emphasized rebirth and enlightenment. For Nagy, Socrates’ final act reaffirms life’s regenerative power and the eternal vitality of thought.

4. Nietzsche’s Perspective: Life-Denial and Decadence

Nietzsche offers a starkly different interpretation, framing Socrates’ parting words as evidence of a life-denying philosophy. To Nietzsche, the philosopher’s acknowledgment of existence as a “long illness” reveals profound pessimism and exhaustion. The sacrifice to Asklepios, rather than symbolizing renewal, reflects a surrender to rationalism and a retreat from life’s instinctual drives.

In Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche critiques the collective wisdom of philosophers like Socrates, which he sees as symptomatic of cultural decline. By prioritizing reason over instinct, Socrates’ philosophy, in Nietzsche’s view, suppresses the raw vitality of life. The rooster, for Nietzsche, does not herald a new dawn but underscores a departure from life’s natural exuberance. Socrates’ composed acceptance of death thus becomes, for Nietzsche, a final renunciation of existence itself.

5. Comparative Analysis

The divergent readings of Socrates’ last words reflect a broader philosophical divide. For Nagy, the philosopher’s death embodies the resilience of life and intellect, with the logos enduring beyond physical demise. Nietzsche, however, interprets the moment as the apex of a life-negating worldview, where reason stifles instinct and vitality.

The rooster’s symbolism encapsulates this tension: Nagy views it as a beacon of hope and intellectual rebirth, while Nietzsche sees it as a gesture of resignation. These interpretations mirror the contrast between Platonic idealism, which values reason and eternal truths, and Nietzschean existentialism, which champions life’s immediate, instinctual essence.

 6. Broader Implications

The contrasting interpretations of Socrates’ final statement offer insights into human attitudes toward mortality and meaning. Nagy’s emphasis on the resilience of intellectual life suggests that philosophy provides a kind of immortality through the perpetuation of ideas. His perspective celebrates the transformative power of reason as a tool to transcend death. Nietzsche, on the other hand, warns against philosophies that prioritize rationality at the expense of life’s instinctual vigor. His critique highlights the dangers of retreating from the immediacy of existence into abstract rationalism.

These interpretations resonate with contemporary existential questions: How should we confront mortality? Should we seek meaning in transcendent ideals, or in the richness of life’s immediate experiences? The tension between reason and instinct remains a central theme in the search for purpose amid impermanence.

7. Conclusion

The competing interpretations of Socrates’ last words by Nagy and Nietzsche reveal the profound depth of this seemingly simple statement. While Nagy celebrates it as a testament to the enduring nature of dialogue and intellectual renewal, Nietzsche frames it as indicative of cultural and existential decline. Together, these perspectives highlight the richness of Socratic thought, which continues to inspire reflection on life, death, and the pursuit of wisdom. The enduring enigma of the “rooster to Asklepios” reminds us to question how we balance reason, vitality, and the search for meaning in our lives.

Bibliography

Nagy, Gregory. "A Rooster for Asklepios: The Death and Life of Socrates." Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies. Last modified October 2, 2019. https://catedra-unesco.espais.iec.cat/en/2019/10/02/39-a-rooster-for-asklepios-the-death-and-life-of-socrates/.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Twilight of the Idols. Translated by R.J. Hollingdale. London: Penguin Books, 1968. Originally published as Götzen-Dämmerung (1889).