Most Beautiful Things And Love example essay topic

"Plato's Symposium " Kaboom, that was the sound of Zeus's thunder crashing towards the Earth. During this time period the people in Greece believed in these gods. Also happening at the same time period was when the worlds most famous philosophers began to come out and teach. Most importantly the philosophers did what they were suppose to, and that was to question the world around them. One of the most famous philosophers in the Greek period around 416 B.C. was a man named Socrates. Socrates was student of the Diotima which taught him things about love, ignorance, wisdom and right opinion, which he rehearses to the people attending the dinner of Agathon's.

We will first start by analyzing what Diotima has said about the four cognitive functions, which are: wisdom, understanding, right opinion and ignorance. She asks Socrates "do you think what is not wise, then it is ignorant?" and she continues with "Do you not perceive that there is something between wisdom and ignorance?" In these first quotes Socrates only believes that if something is not wise then it has to be ignorant and that there is no in between. Diotima then points out that doesn't think see that there is an middle point between wisdom and ignorance. Diotima then replies "To have right opinion without being able to give a reason, is neither to understand (for how could an unreasoned thing be understanding?) nor is it ignorance (for how can ignorance hit the truth?

). Right opinion is no doubt something between knowledge and ignorance". In the second quote what Diotima tells Socrates is that right opinion is in between wisdom and ignorance. She explains this by telling Socrates that being incapable of giving a reason something cannot be considered knowledge, because how can knowledge be entirely lacking reason. She also points out that it can't be considered ignorance because you can't obtain the truth from ignorance, but then it is clearly something in between wisdom and ignorance which is called right opinion. Diotima explains the four cognitive functions more in depth a couple of paragraphs later on starting with "The truth is this: no god seeks after wisdom or desires to become wise-for wise he is already; nor does anyone else seek after wisdom, if he is wise already.

And again, the ignorant do not seek after wisdom nor desire to become wise; for this is the worst of ignorance, that one who is neither beautiful and good nor intelligent should think himself good enough, so he does not desire it, because he does not think he is lacking in what he does not think he needs". What Diotima tells Socrates here is that no god is in search or in want of being wise for the gods are already wise, nor does any human who is already wise seek after wisdom. Neither do the ignorant search to be wise, and that is the evil of ignorance, a person that is satisfied with himself and is not good nor wise and is satisfied with himself, because he has no desire for that which he has no want. Socrates then ask Diotima "Who then are the Philosophers? If those who seek after wisdom are neither wise nor the ignorant?" She answers with "They are between these two, as Love is. You see, wisdom is one of the most beautiful things, and Love is a love for the beautiful, so Love must necessarily be a philosopher, and, being a philosopher, he must be between wise and ignorant.

His birth is the cause of this for he comes of a wise and resourceful father, but of a mother resource less and not wise". Diotima here explains to Socrates that philosophers are in the center of wise and ignorant, and love is right in there between the two. Because wisdom is a very beautiful thing, and Love is of the beautiful; and therefore love is also a philosopher or another way of putting it a lover of wisdom. And being a lover of wisdom it too is in the center of wisdom and ignorance. This Love's birth was also the cause because dad was wealthy and wise, and his mom was poor and foolish. Now we go on to the model of the power of love.

Socrates starts off asking Diotima what power does love have? Diotima answers " To interpret and to ferry across to the gods things given by men, and to men things from the gods, from men petitions and sacrifices, from the gods commands and requital's in return; and being in the middle it completes them and binds them all together into a whole. Through this intermediary moves all the art of divination, and the art of priests, and all concerned with sacrifice and mysteries and incantations, and all sorcery and witchcraft. For God mingles not with man, but through this comes all the communion and conversation of gods with men and men with gods, both awake and asleep; and he who is expert in this is a spiritual man, but the expert in something other that this, such as common arts or crafts, is a vulgar man. These spirits are many and of all sorts and kinds, and one of them is Love". After Socrates ask about the powers that love has.

Diotima explains to Socrates that Loves power includes communication between the gods and man. To transport to the gods the sacrifices of men and prayers, and to the men replies from the gods and commands. Love is a middle man that connects the two worlds that divide the gods from men. And therefore in him all is connected. Through love the doings of priest and prophets, such as sacrifices mysteries and charms, and all prophecy and spells find their way. For God does not talk to man; but through love all the talking and meddling with of a god is then transferred to a man, whether sleeping or awake is going on.

The wisdom which understands this is a spiritual; all other wisdom such as arts and hand made things, is stingy and lacking refinement. Now all these intermediate powers are a lot and very different, and one of them is love. Now we go on to the myth of the origin of love. Socrates ask Diotima who was his father and who was his mother? Diotima goes on to explain that it's a long story but she " ll tell him anyway. She starts by saying "When Aphrodite was born, the gods held a feast, among them Plenty, The son of Neverataloss.

When they had dined, Poverty came in begging, as might be expected with all that good cheer, and hung about the doors. Plenty then got drunk on the nectar-for there was no wine yet -- and went into Zeus's park all heavy and fell asleep. So Poverty because of her penury made a plan to have a child from Plenty, and lay by his side and conceived Love. This is why Love has become follower and servant of Aphrodite, having been begotten at her birthday party, and at the same time he is by nature a lover busy with beauty because Aphrodite is beautiful.

Then since Love is the son of Plenty and Poverty he gets his fortunes from them. First, he is always poor; and for from being tender and beautiful, as most people think, he is hard and rough and unshod and homeless, lying always on the ground without bedding, sleeping by the doors and in the streets in the open air, having his mother's nature, always dwelling with want. But from his father again he has designs upon beautiful and good things, being brave and go-ahead and high-strung, a mighty hunter, always weaving devices, and a successful co veter of wisdom, a philosopher all his days, a great wizard and sorcerer and sophist. He was born neither mortal nor immortal; but on the same say, sometimes he is blooming and alive, when he has plenty, sometimes he is dying; then again he gets new life through his father's nature; but trickles away, so that Love is not in want nor in wealth, and again he is between wisdom and ignorance". The meaning of this little quote is simply that at birthday of Aphrodite there was a feast of the gods.

The god named Plenty was invited. Now after the feast Plenty who loved nectar went into Zeus's garden and fell into a heavy sleep. And there came Poverty plotted to have a child with Plenty, so she laid down and conceived Love. And because Love is a natural lover of beauty, and because Aphrodite herself was beautiful, and also because he was born on her birthday he is then her follower and attendant. And just like his parents are so is he. He is most importantly poor, and anything but tender and fair, as people imagine him; he is rough and filthy, and has no shoes, nor a house to live in; on the earth he lies bare under the open heaven, in the streets or at the doors of houses, taking his rest; and like his mom always in misfortune.

He is also like his father, always plotting against the fair and the good; he is bold and strong like a mighty hunter, always weaving intrigue or other, sharp in pursuit of wisdom. And capable of producing lots of resources. Always a philosopher, terrible as an enchanter, sorcerer, sophist. He is by nature neither mortal nor immortal, but alive and flourishing at one moment when he is in plenty, and dead at ano ther moment, and again alive by reason of his father's nature. But that which is always flowing in is always flowing out, and so he is never in want and never in wealth; and, further, he is in a mean between ignorance and knowledge. What About love, Beauty, and Reality?

Diotima in her last passage tries to explain to Socrates and ask him to please keep up with her. She begins by saying " First, in his leader leads aright, he should love one body and there beget beautiful speech; then he should take notice that the beauty in one body is akin to the beauty in another body, and if we must pursue beauty in essence, it is great folly not to believe that the beauty in all such bodies is one and the same. When he has learnt this, he must become the lover of all beautiful bodies, and relax the intense passion for one, thinking lightly of it and believing it to be more precious than beauty in the body; so that if anyone is decent in soul, even if it has little bloom, it should be enough for him to love and care for, and to beget and seek such talks as will make young people better that he may moreover be compelled to contemplate the beauty in our pursuits and customs, and to see that all beauty is of one and the same kin, and that so he may believe that all bodily beauty is a small thing. Next, he must be led from practice to knowledge, that he may see again the beauty in different kinds of knowledge, and, directing his gaze from now on towards beauty as a whole, he may no longer dwell upon one, like a servant, content with the beauty of one boy or one human being or one pursuit, and be so slavish and pretty; but he should turn to the great ocean of beauty, and in contemplation of it give birth to many beautiful and magnificent speeches and thoughts in the abundance of philosophy, until being strengthened and grown therein he may catch sight of some one knowledge, the one science of this beauty now to be described. Try to attend", she said, "as carefully as you can. Whoever shall be guided so far towards the mysteries of love, by contemplating beautiful things rightly in due order, is approaching the last grade.

Suddenly he will behold a beauty marvelous in it's nature, that very Beauty, Socrates, for the sake of which all the earlier hardships had been borne: in the first place, everlasting, and never being born nor perishing, neither increasing nor diminishing; secondly, not beautiful here and ugly there, not beautiful now and ugly then, not beautiful in one direction and ugly in another direction, not beautiful in one place and ugly in another place. Again, this beauty will not show itself to him like a face or hands or any bodily thing at all, nor as a discourse or a science, nor indeed as residing in anything, as in a living creature or in earth or heaven or anything else, but being by itself with itself always in simplicity; while all the beautiful things elsewhere partake of this beauty in such manner, that when they are born and perish it becomes neither less nor more and nothing at all happens to it; so that when anyone by right boy- loving goes up from these beautiful things, to mount for that beauty's sake ever upwards, as by a flight of steps from one to two, and from two to all beautiful bodies, and from beautiful bodies to beautiful pursuits and practices, and from practices to beautiful learning's, so that from learning's he may come at last to that perfect learning which is the learning solely of that beauty itself, and may know at last that which is the perfection of beauty. There in life and there alone, my dear Socrates" said the inspired woman, "is life worth living for man, while he contemplates Beauty itself. If ever you see this, it will seem to you to be far above gold and raiment and beautiful boys and men, whose beauty you are now entranced to see and you and many others are ready, so long as they see the darlings and remain ever with them, if it could be possible, not to eat nor drink but only to gaze at them and to be with them. what indeed", she said, "should we think, if it were given to one of us to see beauty undefiled, pure unmixed, not adulterer with human flesh and colors and much other mortal rubbish, and if he could beauty in perfect simplicity?

Do you think it a mean life for a man", she said, "to be looking thither and contemplating that and abiding with it? Do you not reflect", said she", that there only it will be possible for him, when he sees the beautiful with the mind, which alone can see it, to give birth not to likenesses of virtue, since he touches no likeness, but to realities, since he touches reality; and when he has given birth to real virtue and brought it up, will it not be granted him to be the friend of God and immortal if any man ever is?" Diotima explains to Socrates about love, reality, beauty. First, if he be guided by his instructor aright, to love one such form only out of that he should find fair thoughts; and soon he will find that beauty of one form is similar to the beauty of another; and then if beauty of common is what he is looking for, how foolish would he be not to recognize that the beauty in every form is one and the same. And when he sees this he will lessen his violent love of the one, which he will feel contempt for and think a small thing, and will become a lover of all beautiful forms; in the next stage he will consider that the beauty of the mind is more honorable than the beauty of the outward form. So that if a morally good soul have but a little good looking, he will be satisfied to love and take care of him, and will look out and bring to the origin thoughts which may better the young, until he is forced to consider thoughtfully and notice the beauty of institutions and laws, and to understand that the beauty of all of them is from a single family, and that personal beauty is of little value; and after laws and institutions he will continue on to the sciences, that he may see their beauty, being not like a servant in love with the beauty of one youth or man or institution, a slave bitter and narrow minded, but drawing towards and contemplating the vast sea of beauty, he will create many fair and noble thoughts and notions in boundless love of wisdom; until on that shore he grows and waxes strong, and at last the vision is revealed to him of a single science, which is the science of beauty everywhere. To this I will go on please give me you very best attention.

He who has been taught in things about love, and who is able to see the beautiful right order and place, when he comes near the end will suddenly a nature of wondrous beauty. A nature which in the first place is lasting forever, not growing not dying, or waxing growing smaller; secondly not fair in one view and offensive in the other, or at the same time or in one relation fair. At another time or in another relation or at another place offensive, as if fair to some and offensive to others, or in the same as a face or hands or any other part of the body, or in any form of knowledge or speech, or existing in someone else for example a animal, or in heaven, or in earth, or in any other place; but beauty absolute, separate, simple, and never ending, which without decrease and without increase, or any change, is given to the ever growing and perishing beauties of all other things. He who from these moves upwards under the power of true love, will begin to see beauty, is not for from the end. And the right order of going or taken by another to the things of Love, is to begin from the beauties of the earth and stack upwards for the sake of another beauty, using these as steps only, and from one going on to two, from two to all equal forms, and from equal forms to equal practices, from equal practices to equal notions, until from equal notions he realizes the notion of absolute beauty, and finally knows what the essence of beauty is.

Diotima explains that this is the life for which a man should live in the view of absolute beauty; a beauty that if you once touched you would not care of gold, clothing, and attractive boys, who's presence entrances you; and you many a one would be satisfied to live seeing them and talking about them with out food or water, if that were possible, you only want to look to be closer to them and to stare at them. But what if man had eyes to see the true divine beauty, pure and un disrupted, not clogged with the pollutions of human life. To that place looking, and having ability to communicate with true beauty divine and simple? Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be able to bring forward, not images of beauty, but realities for he has hold not of an image but of a reality, and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may. Would that be a non-honorable life?'.