Socrates and the Limits of Love: The Erotic Philosophy of Plato's Symposium

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0:00-2:21 Intro
2:22-6:03 Phaedrus
6:04-8:44 Pausanias
8:45-12:39 Eryximachus
12:40-18:45 Aristophanes
18:46-23:42 Agathon
23:43:-43:22 Socrates (Diotima)
43:23-59:07 Alcibiades
59:08-103:18 Conclusion
In this video, I examine Plato’s account of erotic love set forth in the Symposium. Unlike other dialogues, the symposium is constituted by a series of speeches, rather than one continuous argument. However, when viewed abstractly, one can nonetheless see a dialectical progression at play. The first speech, that of Phaedrus, claims (as do evolutionary psychologists today) that the chief function of love is to bolster society, and hence, communal survival. Pausanias, in his speech, then observes that love does not always do this. Rather, there are two kinds of love: heavenly and earthly, and only the former supports the social order. Eryximachus, in his speech, argues that love does not merely support the social order, but orders the cosmos as well. It is a metaphysical principle of harmony. Aristophanes then offers a psychological account of love which appears to have been overlooked. Agathon, then, in his speech, claims that people so far have only praised love’s effects, not his intrinsic properties. And, in Socrates’ speech, he criticizes Agathon’s account of the intrinsic character of love, identifying him not with a god but with a great daimon who mediates between gods and men. Socrates’ account is a reiteration of what he learned from the priestess Diotima. Finally, Alcibiades crashes the party and offers a speech in praise of Socrates, portraying him as a sage who conceals himself in irony.
The images used in this video were either created by me, memes made on imgflip, or in the public domain.

[@Jessica_Irene_]

Thank you ♥️❤️♥️

[@illusiveman8027]

Glad to have found your channel.

[@fethk]

I find it topical that Plato's arguments go together with antinatalism sentiments that seem to be spreading currently like fire among young generation. Not sure whether it was meant to be only implied or, in fact, explicitly stated by Plato. However, the implication of us stopping the cycle of suffering by consciously letting ourselves go extinct (as in all our souls finally ascending back to the higher realms of existence) seemed quite clear to me in this one. Thank you for all that you do!