Book contents
- Philosophy and Religion in Plato’s Dialogues
- Philosophy and Religion in Plato’s Dialogues
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 The Forms, the Good, and the Divine
- Chapter 2 Eternal Longings
- Chapter 3 Dialogue of Self and Soul
- Chapter 4 Wings of Desire
- Chapter 5 The Gods Made Visible
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 2 - Eternal Longings
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 April 2021
- Philosophy and Religion in Plato’s Dialogues
- Philosophy and Religion in Plato’s Dialogues
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 The Forms, the Good, and the Divine
- Chapter 2 Eternal Longings
- Chapter 3 Dialogue of Self and Soul
- Chapter 4 Wings of Desire
- Chapter 5 The Gods Made Visible
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
In Plato’s Symposium, a group of intellectuals and artists give speeches in praise of the god Eros. The speakers engage in a playful competition with one another, showing off their wit, cultivation, and eloquence. Each articulates a different conception of Eros and his role in the human, divine, and cosmic realms. In Socrates’ speech, philosophic desire takes center stage. Socrates focuses on two key desires: the desire for immortality and the metaphysical desire for the Forms. Both aim at something beyond the human, but they differ in key ways. I will examine both of these desires and show how they work together in the life of the philosopher.
In its most basic sense, the desire for immortality is a desire for an everlasting self. The Greeks understood immortality in terms of living like the gods.
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- Information
- Philosophy and Religion in Plato's Dialogues , pp. 64 - 113Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021