Socrates and Alcibiades

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Recommended: The nature of love as portrayed in Plato's Alcibiades

Philosophy and the Human Condition

Socrates and Alcibiades

In Plato’s Symposium, he describes the party which Agathon had several famous people of his time over for dinner. Those in attendance include Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Socrates. The party begins by the members of the party eating dinner and then beginning to talk to about love. Each person gives a eulogy of love. After everyone has spoken, including Socrates, Alcibiades enters and gives a eulogy of Socrates. The two agree on the nature of love in some ways, and disagree in others. They both have very different viewpoints on the subject. Socrates takes a very philosophical and approach and Alcibiades takes a more simplistic approach.

Socrates begins by questioning Agathon about love, explaining that it is neither good, nor beautiful. He tells of his time talking to Diotima, who tells him that love is neither a God nor mortal; that it occupies the middle ground as a spirit. She then tells him the function of spirits. “They translate and carry messages from men to gods and from gods to men. They convey men’s prayers and the god’s instructions, and men’s offerings and the god’s returns on this offerings,” she says (202e). Socrates says that love was born from Plenty and Poverty on the day of Aphrodite’s birth, so it always follows beauty. Love is also poor, tough, needy, yet clever.

Next, Socrates explains that we are not looking for our other halves unless the half or even the whole is not good. Diotima says, “I mean, we’re even prepared to amputate our arms and legs if we think they’re in a bad state. It’s only when a person describes what he’s got as good and what he hasn’t as bad that he’s capable of being content with what belongs ...

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...egnant” is to love a man. Women are capable of meaningful and wise conversations. I do agree that we are not looking for our other halves; I think that you’re attracted to people your entire life, even after you’ve found someone you love. I feel that love is an emotion, or a feeling of wholeness with one person. In Alcibiades’ speech, I agree that the person you love may seem one way on the outside, but is totally different and virtuous on the inside. I also agree that we feel shame around our partners, because we act more virtuously when we are with them. I also agree that if you love someone, that love is very enduring and tough, and can withstand almost anything. Finally, I agree that when the person you love, to you at least, seems to be the best person you have ever met. I don’t agree with Socrates or Alcibiades completely, but I mostly agree with Alcibiades.

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