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A review by dashie
The Symposium by Plato
4.0
So basically, this was Socrates fanfiction.
Before reading The Symposium all I knew about it was that it discussed the theory of soulmates; the wheel person with 4 arms and 4 legs that were cut into half by jealous gods and so spent the rest of their lives looking for their other half; told in a serious essay by Plato.
What is was, was a bunch of guys getting drunk in the evening, arguing about love and how the gays are always superior.
There is more than one philosophical analysis of love in this book and is something that resonates a lot with me. I do not place romantic love on this gigantic pedestal as those in my society often do. A love that they will sacrifice life and limb for. And I am glad that Plato writing down what Apollodorus heard Socrates telling the audience what Diotima said to him, actually explored love as being more than just one "kind."
My favourite aspect of this book would be the concept of a symposium which I dearly lack in my real life. There is nothing better I'd like than to lounge on silky pillows and wax poetic about philosophical mumbo-jumbo that will have no added value to the living real life. How deprived am I?
I didn't learn anything new, but I enjoyed feeling clever and pretentious while I read it. And I did have a few questions, trivial at best, that I will have to analyse by giving it a re-read and maybe write down all my thoughts so I can feel like an academic again.
Before reading The Symposium all I knew about it was that it discussed the theory of soulmates; the wheel person with 4 arms and 4 legs that were cut into half by jealous gods and so spent the rest of their lives looking for their other half; told in a serious essay by Plato.
What is was, was a bunch of guys getting drunk in the evening, arguing about love and how the gays are always superior.
There is more than one philosophical analysis of love in this book and is something that resonates a lot with me. I do not place romantic love on this gigantic pedestal as those in my society often do. A love that they will sacrifice life and limb for. And I am glad that Plato writing down what Apollodorus heard Socrates telling the audience what Diotima said to him, actually explored love as being more than just one "kind."
My favourite aspect of this book would be the concept of a symposium which I dearly lack in my real life. There is nothing better I'd like than to lounge on silky pillows and wax poetic about philosophical mumbo-jumbo that will have no added value to the living real life. How deprived am I?
I didn't learn anything new, but I enjoyed feeling clever and pretentious while I read it. And I did have a few questions, trivial at best, that I will have to analyse by giving it a re-read and maybe write down all my thoughts so I can feel like an academic again.