Comparing Plato s The Symposium - 1704 Words

In one of his most accomplished works, Plato brings to light the topic of alcohol and the significance of drinking in The Symposium. Through this text, Plato is writing about philosophy is the setting of a narrative in order to reinforce the context of the story. Plato was a metaphilosophist that supported the theory of forms. He believed that understanding pure form, achieving true wisdom, is something that cannot be defined or reduced to words, and all people should strive to understand pure form. The main symbol in The Symposium, is wine, a representation of wisdom. Throughout the narrative, the characters drink at a constant place. Having the wine allows for the men to open up and share their ideas on love, as the characters try and†¦show more content†¦In a symposium, the symposiarch, the leader of the symposium, decides what is going to be talked about, and each person at the symposium delivers a speech on that topic. As this is going on, the people at the symposium pa ss around watered-down wine and drink in rounds all at the same pace. This drinking ritual is an example of sophrosunÄ“, an Ancient Greek value that emphasized self-restraint and conforming to societal expectations. The main concept that Plato bases his argument on is the theory of forms. According to the theory of forms, the physical world is created by the abstract ideas and concepts known as the metaphysical world. Plato believed that the physical world was not real and was simply an illusion for the metaphysical world. in The Symposium, there are six different levels to the theory of forms as defined by Diotima. Diotima defines the levels using the example of love, the topic of discussion at the symposium. The first two levels fall into the physical world and are the love of one body and the love of all bodies. The third, fourth, and fifth levels fall under the realm of the metaphysical world and are the love of minds, the love of customs and traditions, and love of forms of knowledge respectively. The highest level in the theory of forms is pure form which extends beyond the metaphysical world and cannot be defined. Only beings that have achieved wisdom, beings that reside in the realm of p ure form, can understand this idea. PlatoShow MoreRelatedEssay on Tragedy of Alcibiades in Platos Symposium1605 Words   |  7 PagesThe Tragedy of Alcibiades in Platos Symposium In Symposium, a selection from The Dialogues of Plato, Plato uses historical allusions to demonstrate Alcibiades’ frustration with both social expectations for the phallus and his inability to meet these expectations. Alcibiades’ inability to have a productive sexual relationship effectively castrates him and demonstrates the impotence caused by an overemphasis on eroticism. The tragedy of Alcibiades is that he realizes he is unable to gain virtueRead MoreHuman Love Is An Essential Part Of The Good Life1888 Words   |  8 PagesAristophanes observes that if we are disobedient toward the gods, Zeus might split us in two once more, so we must always be in pursuit of satisfying the gods. Diotima takes a step forward and tells a story that tries to save us from tragedy in love. The Symposium portrays many forms of love and â€Å"starkly confronts us with a choice, and at the same time it makes us see so clearly that we cannot choose anything. We see now that philosophy is not fully human; but we are terrified of humanity and what it leadsRead More Teaching Philosophy as Education and Evaluation of Thinking Essay3175 Words   |  13 Pages But its possible to get truth by dialogue: then it is also possible teaching and philosophically thinking using argumentation and research of universal ideas, transcending simple and unfounded opinions (CIFUENTES, 1997 #4922). This thesis, from Plato to Kant and German idealism (Fichte, Schelling, Hegel) seems the main scientific trend up to today (BARON STERNBERG, 1987a; BARON STERNBERG, 1987b; ENNIS, 1987; QUELLMALZ, 1987; SMITH, 1987), in spite of contrasting voices, like Rousseau, against