Symposium Questions & Answers

The title "Symposium" comes from the Greek word "symposion," meaning "drinking party" or "feast." In ancient Greece, a symposium was a social gathering held after a meal, where men would drink, converse, and entertain each other. Plato's dialogue is set at such a party at the house of the tragedian Agathon, celebrating his victory in a dramatic competition. The guests decide to forgo heavy drinking and instead deliver speeches in praise of Love (Eros).

The main speakers are Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, and Socrates (who relays Diotima's teachings). Phaedrus praises Love as an inspiration for virtue. Pausanias distinguishes between common and heavenly love. Eryximachus sees Love as a cosmic force of harmony. Aristophanes tells a myth of divided human beings seeking their other halves. Agathon praises Love as perfectly beautiful and good. Socrates, through Diotima, refines these views, defining Love as a daemon striving for the good through a "Ladder of Love." Alcibiades then interrupts, praising Socrates himself.

Aristophanes recounts a myth where humans originally had spherical bodies with two faces, four arms, and four legs. There were three sexes: male, female, and androgynous. These beings were powerful and attempted to storm Olympus, so Zeus split them in half. Since then, each half yearns for its lost other, seeking completion and union. Love, in this myth, is the desire for wholeness and the pursuit of one's original, complementary half.

Socrates engages Agathon in a Socratic dialogue, establishing that Love desires beauty and goodness. If Love desires these things, it must lack them, at least in part. Therefore, Love cannot be perfectly beautiful or good itself, as Agathon claimed. This reframing is crucial, shifting Love from a perfect god to an intermediary, a "daemon" that strives for what it lacks. This sets the stage for Diotima's more complex understanding of Love's nature.

Diotima is a wise woman or priestess from Mantinea, whom Socrates claims taught him "the art of Love." She is not present at the symposium; Socrates relays her teachings as a dialogue he once had with her. Diotima is the true philosophical authority in the dialogue, providing the most profound and influential account of Love, including the concept of Love as a daemon and the famous "Ladder of Love." Her role elevates the discussion beyond conventional praise.

The "Ladder of Love" is Diotima's metaphor for the ascent of the soul from particular physical beauties to the contemplation of absolute Beauty itself. Its stages are: 1. Love for one beautiful body. 2. Love for all beautiful bodies. 3. Love for beautiful souls/minds. 4. Love for beautiful practices and laws. 5. Love for beautiful knowledge/sciences. 6. Love for Beauty Itself (the Form of Beauty). This progression moves from the concrete and particular to the abstract and universal.

The ultimate goal of ascending the Ladder of Love is to achieve direct intellectual apprehension of the Form of Beauty, or "Beauty Itself." This is a moment of profound philosophical insight where one perceives absolute, eternal, unchanging Beauty, independent of any particular beautiful object. Diotima describes this as the most fulfilling and worthwhile life a human can live, transcending all earthly concerns and leading to true virtue.

Diotima defines Love as a "great daemon," an intermediary spirit between gods and mortals, rather than a god itself. She explains Love's parentage as the son of Poverty (Penía) and Plenty (Poros). This lineage explains Love's dual nature: always lacking and desiring (from Poverty), yet resourceful, cunning, and striving (from Plenty). Love is thus a philosopher, constantly pursuing wisdom, beauty, and goodness, but never fully possessing them.

In Socrates' speech, Love is fundamentally the desire for the perpetual possession of the good. Beauty serves as the primary pathway to perceiving and pursuing this good. We are initially drawn to physical beauty, which then leads us to appreciate moral, intellectual, and institutional beauty. Ultimately, the highest form of beauty is absolute Goodness itself, which the soul strives to apprehend. Love is the driving force behind this ascent towards the good.

Alcibiades, a drunken and famous Athenian general, bursts into the party after all the speeches on Love are done. He delivers an encomium not to Love, but to Socrates himself. He describes Socrates' unique character, his physical plainness contrasting with his inner divine beauty, his incredible self-control, his resistance to Alcibiades' seduction, and his profound philosophical wisdom, comparing him to Silenus figures and satyrs.

Spoiler: The Symposium ends with Alcibiades' drunken praise of Socrates, followed by more revelers bursting in, leading to chaos and heavy drinking. Most guests fall asleep, but Socrates, Agathon, and Aristophanes continue to converse until dawn. Socrates argues that a true tragedian should also be a comedian, and vice versa. Eventually, Agathon and Aristophanes fall asleep, and Socrates, having outlasted everyone, leaves for the Lyceum to bathe and spend the day as usual, before finally going home to sleep.

Readers can learn about the multifaceted nature of love, moving beyond mere romantic or physical attraction to a profound philosophical pursuit. The "Ladder of Love" offers a framework for personal growth, encouraging individuals to seek higher forms of beauty and goodness in their lives, from appreciating art to pursuing knowledge and virtue. The dialogue also highlights the importance of self-control, intellectual rigor, and the transformative power of philosophical inquiry, as exemplified by Socrates.

Diotima explains that the desire for the perpetual possession of the good manifests as a desire for immortality. For some, this means physical procreation – having children to ensure a legacy. For others, especially those "pregnant in soul," it means spiritual procreation: creating works of virtue, wisdom, and lasting fame, such as laws, poems, or philosophical insights. This spiritual procreation is considered a higher and more enduring form of immortality, leading to a more profound connection with the good.

Pausanias distinguishes between two forms of Love, mirroring two Aphrodites. "Common Love" (Aphrodite Pandemos) is base, indiscriminate, and focused purely on physical gratification, often directed towards women or boys for their bodies alone. "Heavenly Love" (Aphrodite Urania) is noble, directed towards intelligence and virtue, primarily between an older man (lover) and a younger man (beloved). This love aims at the beloved's moral and intellectual improvement, fostering virtue and lifelong commitment.

Eryximachus, the physician, interprets Love as a universal force of harmony and balance, not just in human relationships but throughout nature and the cosmos. He applies his medical understanding to Love, seeing it as the principle that brings together opposing elements in a healthy way. He argues that a good physician understands how to instill love and harmony in the body, just as a good musician understands it in music, ensuring proper balance and well-being.

The central argument of Plato's Symposium is that Love (Eros) is a powerful, complex, and transformative force that drives humans towards the good and the beautiful. It progresses from initial, more superficial understandings of love as a god or a simple desire, to Socrates' profound philosophical account, which defines Love as a striving daemon that motivates the soul's ascent from particular beauties to the contemplation of absolute Beauty and Goodness, ultimately leading to wisdom and virtue.

The guests, having celebrated Agathon's victory the previous night with heavy drinking, decide to take it easy this evening. Eryximachus, the physician, proposes that instead of drinking to excess, they should each deliver a speech in praise of Love (Eros), a topic suggested by Phaedrus. This decision sets the stage for the philosophical exploration of love that forms the core of the dialogue, allowing for a more intellectual and structured discussion.

Alcibiades describes Socrates as embodying the philosophical ideal by demonstrating profound self-control, intellectual integrity, and a relentless pursuit of truth, even amidst temptation and hardship. Socrates' physical plainness but inner divine beauty mirrors the idea that true beauty lies in the Forms, not in appearances. His ability to inspire others towards virtue, even while resisting their advances, reflects the higher, spiritual procreation of Diotima's Ladder of Love.

Diotima's description of Love as a "daemon" (a spirit or intermediary being) is significant because it explains Love's nature as neither fully divine nor fully mortal, neither perfectly beautiful nor entirely ugly, neither wise nor ignorant. As a daemon, Love bridges the gap between the human and the divine, constantly striving for the good and the beautiful that it lacks. This makes Love the very essence of a philosopher – one who loves wisdom but does not yet possess it.

Phaedrus' speech, the first of the encomia, sets a foundational tone by praising Love as an ancient and powerful god, the source of the greatest blessings. He argues that Love inspires courage, honor, and self-sacrifice in lovers, making them strive for virtue and noble deeds to impress their beloveds. This establishes the idea of Love as a motivator for moral excellence, a theme that subsequent speakers will elaborate on and refine, leading to Socrates' more complex philosophical understanding.