In Our Time: Philosophy

Plato's Symposium

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Jan 2, 2014
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INSIGHT

Symposium's Impact on Love

  • Plato's Symposium is a fictional dialogue set at a dinner party discussing love's nature and meaning.
  • It influenced Western philosophy's concepts of erotic and Platonic love.
INSIGHT

Symposium as Male Aristocratic Ritual

  • The symposium was a male aristocratic drinking party mixing fun, entertainment, and intellectual discussion.
  • It served to initiate youth into Athenian social, political, and homoerotic cultural norms.
INSIGHT

Symposium's Historical Context

  • The Symposium is set in 416 BC at Agathon's house celebrating his tragedy victory.
  • Plato uses historical setting nostalgically before Athens' political decline and Socrates' execution.
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