The Symposium is a philosophical text by Plato, dated c. 385-370 BC. It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable men attending a banquet. The men include the philosopher Socrates, the general and political figure Alcibiades, and the comic playwright Aristophanes. The speeches are to be given in praise of Eros, the god of love and desire. In the Symposium, Eros is recognized both as erotic love and as a phenomenon capable of inspiring courage, valor, great deeds and works, and ...
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The Symposium is a philosophical text by Plato, dated c. 385-370 BC. It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable men attending a banquet. The men include the philosopher Socrates, the general and political figure Alcibiades, and the comic playwright Aristophanes. The speeches are to be given in praise of Eros, the god of love and desire. In the Symposium, Eros is recognized both as erotic love and as a phenomenon capable of inspiring courage, valor, great deeds and works, and vanquishing man's natural fear of death. It is seen as transcending its earthly origins and attaining spiritual heights. This extraordinary elevation of the concept of love raises a question of whether some of the most extreme extents of meaning might be intended as humor or farce. Eros is almost always translated as "love", and the English word has its own varieties and ambiguities that provide additional challenges to the effort to understand the Eros of ancient Athens. This dialogue is one of Plato's major works, and is appreciated for both its philosophical content and its literary qualities
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The writings of Plato can be quite an inspiration to anyone's life. While other ordinary books suggest a hazy picture of a philosophy, Plato delineates a detailed image of the simpleste things we view and feel in life.
Selina
Oct 1, 2007
Wonderful
This is one of the few books I read in Greak Civ that I really liked. The language can be a bit rough to understand in parts, but this is truly on interesting book. This is more a book to read and debate with friends. Plato brings up many points that are important even in today's world. This is not a quick read, but it is well worth the time to read Plato's brilliant work.
