PHL 606 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Agathon, Homoeroticism, Man Man
20 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Wednesday January 17th 2017
PHL 606: Plato’s Symposium Lecture
• HOMOEROTICISM= Admiration for and admiration of men, especially the physical beauty,
strength and stamina, virtuous, virtuous of character, intelligence
• MALE SUPREMICISM that says that men are superior to women
Philosophers Dates in Ancient Greece
• Socrates (469-399 BCE)
• Plato (427-347 BCE)
• Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
• Plato was Socrates student
• Aristotle was Plato’s student
Socrates
• Socrates did not publish anything, he went around and had dialogue with people
• Socrates invented term philosophy>Socrates said what he is doing is discussing ideas to the
people>Socrates said what he is, is a LOVER OF WISDOM/SEEKER OF WISDOM>Wisdom
is deep truth about wisdom and he said that he is a LOVER OF WISDOM
• Socrates interested in social and political problems
• It is the CHARACTER SOCRATES IN THE SYMPOSIUM
Plato
• Was interested in most subjects, like math, nature of science, nature of the mind, etc
Speeches
1) Phaedrus
2) Pausanias
3) Euryximachus-He is a doctor (Love is a doctor he says-Great healing principle-1) Disordered
Love (Like a disease and is self-indulgent)
4) Aristophanes- Comedy playwright
5) Agathon-Tragic playwright-Love is a poet
6) Socrates-Love is a philosopher
7) Alcibiades
***With the speeches there is something that the next person always hates about it***
Setting
• 416 BCE
• This is a DIALOGUE going on and it is a PLAY in a way (Work of philosophy)
• Most of the Symposium is SPEECHES
Symposium
• In Ancient Greece is very formal and it is a party where people have entertainment and it is
more structured
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• It is formal in the sense that everyone is supposed to come on time>Everyone needs to know
how much they will drink before the party begins>They want to be sober because they are
hungover from the day before
• Agathon wins this playwright contest on his tragedy he wrote
• PAUSANIAS+AGATHON were devoted life partners and they lived in the same house
Phaedrus Speech (Love is ennobling, It inspires virtuous actions)
• Announces that love is the oldest God
• He says the great thing about love is that it is nobling+and very supportive of humans
• When someone is in love they are inspired to BE THEIR BEST SELF
• The LOVER+BELOVED (is the loved one)
• Love is nobling because when you are in love with someone you are hyper interested in them
coming off as a great person
• LOVER= You want to be honorable when you are in love, want to be VIRTUOUS and do not
want to show yourself as not honorable (WANT TO BE NOBLE)
• VIRTUES= Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Self-Control with respect to the bodily appetite and
you use your reason to control yourself (food, drink, including ones desires to drink, sex)
• The BEST ARMY would be an army of men and their relationship among them will be that
some are LOVERS+OTHERS BELOVED (This will mean that everyone is showing their
nobility and they will be focused/AN ARMY OF LOVERS THEY WOULD BE)
• The best group are RULERS (The rulers will be all really honorable and will be thinking about
the good of the city/They would be JUST RULERS)
• DOWNSIDE TO HAVING LOVE RELATIONSHIPS IN A BATTLE= Your main thought is
that you would want to protect only your loved ones and you would be putting other people at
risk, would not be a cohesive family
• He points out that the nobling point of love is found in both MEN+WOMEN
Pausanias Speech (1. Divine Love: Love of the mind of the loved one 2. Common Love: Want
sexual gratification)
• A god loves her husband so much that she gave the ultimate SACRIFICE for her husband
• This act was NOBLE+ADMIRABLE but even the gods said what an amazing women
• Depends on who you love and why you love them that makes love noble or not
• Two kinds of love 1) Divine Love 2) Common Love
• DIVINE LOVE (HIERARCHICAL LOVE/KIND OF LIKE A MENTOR OR EDUCATOR
RELATIONSHIP)= Two gods there is Aphrodite who is the good and divine love and she is a
goddess>Aphrodite did not have a mother she was basically raised by her father and this is
why she is so smart>This kind of love is the love that an older man has for a younger
man>Beloved is the younger man and lover is the older man>The older man wants to make the
younger man become a truly great person by worshipping him>Younger man should not be
hooking up with the older man for money because that is not divine love>The attitude of the
younger man needs to be that the older man can teach him and make him wiser and virtuous>
IS LIFELONG AND STABLE>IT IS LOVE OF THE MIN>He says that when a man has sex
with a boy or child that is a girl he says it is illegal (sex with children is off limits)> Pausanias
says the love of an older man for youth he sees that the young man has a very nice mind which
is why the older man goes for the youth>When you are considered a young man when you start
to grow a beard (puberty is the line between childhood and adolescence so about 14 or 15 yrs
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Wednesday january 17th 2017: homoeroticism= admiration for and admiration of men, especially the physical beauty, strength and stamina, virtuous, virtuous of character, intelligence, male supremicism that says that men are superior to women. Philosophers dates in ancient greece: socrates (469-399 bce, plato (427-347 bce, aristotle (384-322 bce, plato was socrates student, aristotle was plato"s student. Plato: was interested in most subjects, like math, nature of science, nature of the mind, etc. Speeches: phaedrus, pausanias, euryximachus-he is a doctor (love is a doctor he says-great healing principle-1) disordered. Love (like a disease and is self-indulgent: aristophanes- comedy playwright, agathon-tragic playwright-love is a poet, socrates-love is a philosopher, alcibiades. ***with the speeches there is something that the next person always hates about it*** Setting: 416 bce, this is a dialogue going on and it is a play in a way (work of philosophy, most of the symposium is speeches. Divine love: love of the mind of the loved one 2.
