How Does Agathon Define Love?

Agathon suggests that Love is the happiest of the gods because he is most beautiful and best. He is beautiful because, contrary to Phaedrus

Phaedrus
We are all ruled, he says, by two principles: one is our inborn desire for pleasure, and the other is our acquired judgment that pursues what is best (237d). Following your judgment is "being in your right mind", while following desire towards pleasure without reason is "outrage" (hubris).
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' claim, he is the youngest of the gods. He always avoids old age, and only associates with the young. ... Love practices moderation, since he can master pleasures and desires.

What does Socrates say about Love?

Socrates states that, “Love is the conciousness of a need for a good not yet acquired or possessed.” In other words we want what we do not have, and at times cannot have. Love for Socrates is a superficial occurrence and only based on the things in life that seem to be pleasing to the eye.

How is Love described in the symposium?

The "ladder of love" occurs in the text Symposium (c. 385-370 BC) by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. ... This is the starting point, when love, which by definition is a desire for something we don't have, is first aroused by the sight of individual beauty. All beautiful bodies.

Chloe Bennett

Chloe Bennett

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