PLATO Flashcards
(18 cards)
what are all 7 definitions of love in the Symposium
- Love is the path to virtue
- Pandemic Eros vs Uranian Eros
- love is natural and creates harmony
- humans actually desire wholeness more than love
- love is desired because it is beautiful
- love is the pursuit of truth,
- the embodiment of love is Socrates
what is Pandemic eros
sexual love, desire, passion
what is Uranian Eros
noble love of virtue and friendship
what are the physical symptoms of desire
parts of the body becoming warm, moist and swelling. feeling hot and bothered. feeling on fire
what’s the difference between love and desire
desire is sexual and physical. Love is intense friendship. There are 2 loves, one can have desire be a part of it, the other cannot
why should desire be controlled
because it’s in everybody’s interest for society to be controlled and because of incest. (republic)
how can desire be resisted
it takes self discipline. Alcibiades says that Socrates could resist because of his military campaign
beliefs on pederastic relationships
pederastic relationships can be useful to the state because it’s a way for the older (male) generation to pass down their knowledge. They also encourage each other to behave admirably
modern scholarship about Homoerotic relationships
“To describe was ‘Greek love’ was, allows us to explore what ‘greek love’ means for us today”-Goldhill
what is Goldhills modern scholar quote
“To describe was ‘Greek love’ was, allows us to explore what ‘greek love’ means for us today”
how did plato’s contemporary context influence his ideas (2)
- Alcibiades at the time had a passion which led to a misguided campaign in Sicily. Plato wrote him to have the same passion but for Socrates.
- Socrates was executed for ‘corrupting the youth’ but plato (as his devoted pupil) wrote him to contrast and moderate Alcibiades impulsive behaviour
modern scholar quotes about Plato’s society
“The erotic world of Plato’s dialogues is in part, of course, just that of his society”-Hackett
what is Hackett’s modern scholar quote
“The erotic world of Plato’s dialogues is in part, of course, just that of his society”
how was Plato’s ideas on Homoerotic relationships received by his contemporary audience
because he has conflicting conclusions, there would have been relatable opinions for most of his readers
Plato quote on the definitions of love
“we human beings will never attain happiness unless we find perfect love”-symposium, Aristophanes
Plato quote about the physical symptoms of desire
“in this process the whole soul throbs and palpitates”-Phaedrus
Plato quote love vs desire
“worshipping temperance, courage, nobility and wisdom, will desire to live always chastely in company with the chaste object of his love”-Laws
Plato quote about homoeroitc relationships
“it is contrary to nature when male mates with male or female with female”-Laws
