Plato’s Symposium, Part 2: Love and the Immortal Good

In our second of three sessions on Plato’s Symposium, we’ll discuss speeches on the subject of love by Aristophanes, Agathon, and Socrates in the passages from 189(a) to 212(c).

In the continuing drama of Athenians attending a drinking party, or symposium, we encounter first Aristophanes’ curious tale of humans having originated as spheres that were cut in half and forever thereafter seek the other half for completion. Aristophanes is followed by Agathon, who attaches every superlative to love as a god of grace, kindness, and beauty present wherever virtue is found.

Socrates, however, conveys a different perspective on love, one that he learned from Diotima, a wise woman from Mantinea who explained love as an eternal quest. Socrates’ speech on love dispenses with the poetry of the previous speakers and seeks to define the nature of love itself, not as an effect but as a cause.

Socrates describes love not as a god, but as a spirit that intermediates man and god and as a cause that drives the mortal human spirit to “wanting to possess the good forever.” Love, as Diotima explained to Socrates, “must desire immortality,” and so deliver to the mortal human a sense of timelessness that exists in the eternal realm of being that is accessible not to the physical body but to our sense of reason.

In the various speeches, we might find some ideas and themes in the depictions of love that have endured over the past 2,400 years. Is love an external power that drives the soul, or is it a power within the soul? What is the relationship between love, knowledge, time, and harmony?

We’ll make our way to the conclusion of the Symposium in our third session, and consider what Plato says about love and its connection with the soul and immortality. It could be an especially powerful conclusion when we recall what Plato wrote in the Philebus, that the universe itself has a soul.

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Our discussion will be recorded in voice only without video, using first name as it appears on your screen profile, and broadcast on the “Plato’s Pod” Podcast for those who would like to share in our knowledge. We can go anywhere the group wishes, for which some suggested themes will be offered. Wherever our discussion leads, Plato, without a doubt, would have imagined no better way than in dialogue for knowledge – the account of the reasons why – to multiply its connections. We welcome the sharing of all perspectives, whether you are new to or experienced with Plato. Recordings of previous episodes of the Plato’s Pod podcast are at https://open.spotify.com/show/53Zvjr7avMylQgNqfqBxlk?si=7b50d100bfc4474d and other podcast platforms.

After the podcast recording ends in two hours, participants are welcome to remain for “Plato’s Café”, a casual half-hour discussion of your choice of themes from any of Plato’s works, or philosophy in general.

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There are many translations of Plato's works available, of varying quality. Your public library will have multiple editions. A free translation of the Symposium is available at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/ or at https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1600. Participants in our entire series might be interested in purchasing Plato: Complete Works (https://www.amazon.ca/Plato-Complete-Works/dp/0872203492/).

FRIDAY BEFORE THE MEETUP: We will post selections from the reading for discussion on a shared drive for participants at https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqvPwkIofv4UaFldrPpbva3VSXI?e=3Y7PjP, where you can also find topics explored in our previous meetups. Our meetings will generally be scheduled every two weeks on Sunday at 2 p.m. eastern. During our dialogue, participants are encouraged to relate their comments to Plato's text, referring to the Stephanus number for the passage so others can follow in the reading. Participants are also encouraged to read the text aloud for the meaning of the written word to resonate.

The Meetup will take place on Zoom. Please RSVP to access the Zoom link at your Meetup account.