What does Plato say about love in the Symposium?
In the dialogue, Plato, vis-a-vis Socrates, argued the highest love is the philosopher’s love of the truth, contained in the Forms. This love of the truth is what distinguishes the philosopher. This is what is known as Platonic Love: a love that unites souls by uniting them with the truth.
What is Plato’s argument in gorgias?
In the Gorgias Plato focuses upon two contrasting ways of speaking, of being, and of establishing community with others, both of which can be described as forms of argument: “rhetoric,” which he attacks, and “dialectic,” which he defends and intends to exemplify.
What is the form of beauty in Plato’s Symposium?
It is a widely held view that according to the Symposium the ultimate or ‘primary’ object of love is the Form of Beauty. It is almost as widely held that the Form of Beauty is identical with that of the Good. In this paper I argue that both of these views are mistaken.
What is the theme of Plato’s Symposium?
Through the speeches by men, love is examined by men attending a symposium or a drinking party. The symposium has its main concerns with the beginning, the purpose and nature of affection and care. Therefore, love is the central theme in Plato’s dialogues in Symposium.
What did Socrates learn from Diotima?
In the Symposium, Plato says that Diotima taught Socrates “the art of love” — an ambiguous phrase. As she was teaching him this art, Socrates made the claim that love was a great and powerful god. Diotima challenged him.
What did antiphon teach?
Antiphon taught people to laugh at the fear of dreams; and he said that divination was “a wise man’s guess” (A 9, A 8, B 78-81a). Several reports say that he was the first to write speeches for the courts. He was a pioneer in this field at Athens.
What does Diotima say about love?
Diotima replies once more that not everything must be one thing or its opposite. Love is neither mortal nor immortal, but is a spirit, which falls somewhere between being a god and being human. Spirits, Diotima explains, serve as intermediaries between gods and humans.
What does Socrates say about love in Symposium?
Socrates goes on to point out that if good things are beautiful, then Love must also be lacking in good things, and cannot himself be good.