The Symposium

            The word Symposium is defined as a group of people coming together to discuss ideas. This philosophical dialogue by Plato, deals with ideal love and the vision of absolute beauty. The dialogue expresses the discussion between Diotima and Socrates. Socrates believes that love is absolute and the ideals are perfect, whereas Diotima explains that love shouldn’t be black and white, or perfect.

           

my little sister :)

            Our discussions in class about the different views of love between men and woman were very interesting. Something someone said they had heard before was very true. She said, “Women wear makeup because men fall in love with what they see. Men lie because woman fall in love with what they hear.” Every person has a unique way that they attract people they are dating, or crushing on (some more noticeable and obvious than others). What are we most attracted to about love? What makes us want to go the extra mile for that love? For some, it is just the possession of it, and others just the other’s want of possession of them even if they don’t want to possess. There are people who love and pursue towards people, but then won’t take possession of them in return. They just like to be wanted. “Then love, may be described generally as the love of the everlasting possession of the good?” (p. 286). In many cases, this is very true. She goes on to say that this ties in to procreation, where love becomes of immortality. It becomes lasting and creates generations.

           

During the discussion Diotima points out Socrates’ mistakes and errors in his theory about what love is. I thought this was the most interesting. She explains that he has confused Love with the Beloved. “For the beloved is the truly beautiful, and delicate, and perfect, and blessed; but the principle of love is of another nature” (p. 287). She describes how love isn’t described as one thing or another. It’s between “ignorance and knowledge…wise and foolish…mortal and immortal.” Perhaps this is why love is so impossible to describe as just one sided.