The Symposium by Plato

 The Symposium by Plato

Beautiful, good, loveable… Socrates – which in an odd way is also the name of my business partner- represents a summit, the Ultimate Thinker, the Nec Plus Ultra of the profound dialogue, for all the faults and mistakes that we can see with hindsight…if interested in some other notes of mine, there you go:

-          https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E

This is the dialogue about Eros and love…I must not forget lust, good, beautiful, loving what you don’t have and the attractions of Socrates, among others.
Plato used to represent wisdom, the role model, the God, superhero and Batman of the ancient world.
This Übermensch has been taken down a notch or two, after reading criticism and a little more about him.
It is not just that the Republic inspires dictators now and in the past, without them reading it, but having the ideas filtered by their consultants and acolytes.
Slaves were not the unconceivable idea of today, but a fact of everyday life and yet the attitude of the philosopher towards them does not seem right.
Obviously his concepts have represented a breakthrough and he is one of the most important thinkers of all time.

Socrates – which in an odd way is also the name of my business partner- also represents a summit, the Ultimate Thinker, the Nec Plus Ultra of the profound dialogue, for all the faults and mistakes that we can see with hindsight.
What has fascinated me at Socrates, from the first time that I have learned about it, at the age of about twenty was the Delphi story:

-          The oracle of Delphi has proclaimed Socrates to be the wisest of the Greeks
-          We now know that the operation at Delphi was, if not like a mob operated casino, at least a fake future telling outfit
-          The men running the show relied on information that they gathered from wherever they could and then used it to receive gifts and then have an “oracle” state facts which were obvious or that could be interpreted

But in the case of Socrates they nailed it, even if the Wisest Man did not take it for granted and actually wondered
-          Why did the Oracle name me as the wisest?
-          In his inquisitive, intrigued manner he went about and found all around men that pretended to know about horses, grains and generally things they did not know- perhaps in the manner of the narcissistic Trump
-          Given that Socrates did not claim to know what he did not know, that must be the reason for the pronouncement

There are some interesting, sometimes amusing facts and stories included in The Symposium, which stands for “drinking party”- I did not know that.

-          A difference is made between lust and love of the spirit, even if one speaker extends this concept
-          Love, desire for the body is really important- if you ask me- and the orator making that point is right
-          A “lover” in this dialogue is meant to be a middle aged man- if I am not wrong, anyway a little older- who loves a “boy”- how old is the latter I did not understand, I hope not that young, albeit the times and morals were different
Homosexual love appeared to be superior in the minds of, not just those involved in the drinking party, but the society at large.
A striking idea involved creating a powerful army of…lovers.
When one is in love, he (they almost always refer to men, not women) cares very much about what the lover thinks, way more than family, parents, etc.
So in war, if they send pairs of men in love, they will act bravely and most valorously seeing as they have those that they want to impress in battle and they will make every effort to protect them, thus diminishing losses.
Another interesting concept, which is probably as famous as “platonic love”, would be the theory of separated halves.
Zeus has created human beings with four eyes, four ears, round necks and two sets of reproductive organs…think about that!
He then decided to cut people in half…
-          Ever since, one half looks around and travels the world looking for the lost half, which might be the most romantic notion ever, albeit generated by a rather gruesome, appalling Inception…
Alcibiades comes to the party, already drunk and boasting with energy and confidence in his looks, at least apparently.
For he lets on how he tried to entice and seduce the older and reputedly rather ugly Socrates, who would not give in to his efforts to enrapture the philosopher.
Socrates is much more interested in the idea of good, “Real Beauty and Goodness” rather than temporary, passing handsome appearance.

Needless to add, this is an excellent ancient chef d’oeuvre

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