RE103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Platonic Love, Eryximachus, Agathon
Document Summary
Any kind of physical/sexual interaction is a distraction. Love is about philosophy, which is the love of wisdom, knowledge. True love has nothing to do with aphrodite, but philosophy. Plato wants to get across the idea that sex as it is a distraction and interactions between people are those that are going to increase your wisdom. Not against love and sexual interactions but it needs to move towards wisdom. Platonic love: people who can share motivation, goals and ideas (working together to gain greater wisdom) Evidently, there are numerous understandings of what love might be in cultures. Doctor, quite fond of himself and his own intellect/medical knowledge as it gives him edge and shows his wisdom. Talks about love in a medical sense (brings love outside of soul realm of human) Love as order chaos is bad, order is good. Not in the sense of sexual gratification but in the way the body works together is an act of love.
