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| Love Via Plato |
I just finished reading plato's Symposium for the first time and I'd like to quickely run through some of it's points. This is more for my benifit than your's as I find writing a short entry about something I have just read helps solidify it in my mind. Do not take this to be what is said in Symposium. This is merely my quick runthrough of the major speaking points to the point that my tired mind has noticed or understood them (which is probably not in any way akin to someone with an extensive knowledge of Plato).
Symposium is a dialogue which takes place at a greek drinking party (or symposium). in which Socratese retells a story about himself and his "teacher in the ways of love" (first girlfriend?) talking about the nature of love.
Diotima, Socrates' teacher leads him to the deduction that Love is the desire to possess that which is good, or further to eternally possess that which is good. The reason for these desire she explains to him is that if one obtains that which is good they will be made "happy" and to eternally possess that which is good is to eternally be happy. Further Diotima leads Socrates to the deduction that love itself is not beautiful or good, However it is also not ugly or evil. When Socrates asks how this is Diotima explains that love is neither of these things but it is the Mean between them. Love is neither good nor evil, immortal or mortal, beautiful or ugly. It is the mean between them. She explains that this is because love is a spirit born of the spirit of plenty and the spirit of poverty. (on aphroditese birthday ladalala greek mithology).
I'm going to break here for a small talking point. I quite enjoyed this description however something seemed off about it when placed beside our modern view of love. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. As rediculouse as it may sound I used a 60s pop culture cliche to lead me to the cause of my discomfort. My thought process went something like this. "Love is all you need" therefore by Platos discription "All you need is the desire to possess that which is good" but this made no sense because if all we needed was to desire something we would either obtain it or stop desireing it either way we are treading outside the beatles ultimatum that "LOVE is all you need" I decided to try something differnt "All we need is to possess that which is good" or to simplify "All we need is happiness" and with that most rediculouse line of logic I had found it. Our modern use of the word Love is not describing the desire to obtain that which is good, Our use of the word love describes possessing that which is good. Our love describes what plato called happiness. yey, mystery solved.
Plato went on at this point to expand from this description of love. Diotima spoke about the desire for beauty which is brought about in her opinion by the desire for immortality. Humans desire immortallity and therefor desire procreation that their children may carry both their traites and stories of them. Humans do not which there new generation the hope of their immortal dreams to be weak, stupid or ugly. therefor they seek out that which is wise, beautiful, strong and above all good.
Finally Diotima explains to Socrates a higher life path brought on by love. She explains that as one finds or pocesses things of beauty he will seek greater and more beauty, Outward beauty will be replaced by a desire for inward beauty or virtue. This will be replaced by a desire for beautiful or fair practices which will lead to fair notions. She also describes that desire of one thing of beauty would lead to a desire for two and eventually to possess or experience all beauty. She explains that this escalation of desire for fair and good and beautiful things will eventually bring one to "Absolute beauty" or perfection where one will be beside the gods.
I've left some parts out but that is a basic run down, I'm sure I mucked at least a little of it up. I welcome your additions, thoughts and critisisms as always.
Let me take you to the hurting ground.
Sid
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Posted by SidTheDeviant on 2009-10-29 01:54:21 | Rating: | Views: 50
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