Module 3 Group Paper

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Recommended: Plato's conception of body and soul

Why is Alcibiades brought into the Symposium? Initially in the Symposium, love is described: where it came from, what it is like. Diotima explains to Socrates the progression of love, as it gets more perfect. First, one loves beautiful bodies, then the souls within bodies, then the beauty of laws, activities, and customs, and finally the beauty of knowledge itself. It seems like she is saying the beauty of knowledge is the same as the knowledge of beauty. Then comes the speech of Alcibiades about Socrates. It seems as if Plato is saying that Socrates learned the lessons of Diotima; that he is on this progression, past beautiful bodies, and it sounds like he is close to the beauty of knowledge, because he can give great speeches. Alcibiades, meanwhile, is more at the stage of loving souls, because that is what attracted him to Socrates. Alcibiades desired that knowledge that Socrates had, he wanted to learn from him. He said that he felt so good around him but also felt so bad, because he wanted to be a better person for/with him. Perhaps this is the feeling of butterflies Kate was talking about? When you feel so nervous when you like someone, and can't help but wonder why they should like you, and count your faults, but you are so attracted to them in all their goodness the butterflies kind of feel great! Alcibiades has knowledge of beauty, and of Socrates' beautiful soul. Socrates loves knowledge, and souls, and has reached the goal of loving.

What is platonic love? It may be a love that goes much deeper in a relationship with someone than a sexual love, which sees the beauty in someone that is so deep in a person that they are in a love that forms around the beauty of the soul and mind. If there was no sexual relationship it wo...

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...art of himself in the other person, and so he misses him when they’re not together. Perhaps a man and boy create that mirror image best? On the other hand, women were also taught to keep their mouths shut, and that the man was always right. How do you have a fulfilling conversation with a person if all they do is agree with what you say, and only speak when you speak to them? Now that women are becoming more dominant and are considered to usually be the chattier gender I think it would be easier to find a woman who challenges you intellectually. One could also see the boy as being a naive sense of love, or that it is easy to love him because of his youth (everyone loves kids), and that the man, being hardened with his difficult love experiences, is the lover, because once you have the knowledge of love it is much different; love can be difficult between two people.

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