What did Socrates learn from Diotima?

In the Symposium, Plato says that Diotima taught Socrates “the art of love” — an ambiguous phrase. As she was teaching him this art, Socrates made the claim that love was a great and powerful god.

What is Diotima’s definition of love?

Love is neither mortal nor immortal, but is a spirit, which falls somewhere between being a god and being human. Spirits, Diotima explains, serve as intermediaries between gods and humans. They convey prayers and sacrifices from humans to gods, and send gifts and commands from gods to humans.

What does Plato say about the highest form of love?

In the Symposium, Plato presents the love of wisdom as the highest form of love and philosophy as a refinement of our sexual urges that leads us to desire wisdom over sex.

Can you be platonically in love with someone?

Platonic love involves deep affection, but no romantic or sexual attraction. It’s absolutely possible for people of any gender to maintain a friendship without sexual tension or attraction. When you love someone platonically, you might notice some basic signs of love.

What is our ultimate desire according to Diotima?

Since then, all of us have been yearning with a desire for wholeness. He believed that men and women who are lovers marry and have children not because they really want to but from their desire to complete themselves, having lost their other half.

Is Diotima an Aspasia?

The woman is given the name ‘Diotima’, and she has long been supposed a fictional character. But renewed scrutiny of the text of Symposium and of relevant historical evidence points to ‘Diotima’ being Plato’s disguise for a real woman: Aspasia of Miletus.

Is Diotima real?

refer to Diotima as a real person, although Plato is probably their only basis for this. A second century AD reference to Diotima can be found in the works of Lucian. The suggestion that she was a fictional creation was not introduced until the 15th century by Marsilio Ficino.

What was the highest form of love according to him?

agape
In Christianity, agape (/ɑːˈɡɑːpeɪ, ˈɑːɡəˌpeɪ, ˈæɡə-/; from Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē)) is unconditional love, “the highest form of love, charity” and “the love of God for man and of man for God”.

Did Plato make platonic relationships?

Platonic love, as devised by Plato, concerns rising through levels of closeness to wisdom and true beauty, from carnal attraction to individual bodies to attraction to souls, and eventually, union with the truth. Platonic love is contrasted with romantic love.