Comparing Socrates And Agathon's Speech On The Symposium

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Comparing the speeches on The Symposium I will show the role of love based on Plato, Socrates and Diotima in which I believe is to follow a pathway that leads to a state of love that is asexual, unconditional and permanently. I also believe that all philosophers were lovers. Socrates states love can be anything like the simplest need to the deepest form of love like the love of a mother and a son. According to Diotima, when love is perceived is mostly seen as beautiful and good but she argues that love is not either sinister or good rather something in between. She also conveys love is infinite within humans this leaving our trajectories by reproducing. Socrates was sympathetic towards Agathon’s speech this is why I believe all philosophers …show more content…

After Agathon giving his portrayal towards sexual desires with old people and Socrates being of old age himself defends his beliefes towards love by questioning Agathon and gives acknowledges his speech as well. “Well, son of Acumenus, do you still think my earlier anxiety was groundless? Wasn’t I speaking prophetically when I said just now that agathon would give an amazing speech and that I would be lost for words?” (Socrates, 39) I sense that Socrates is being sarcastic because he is not directly saying this to Agathon but to Eryximachus. After, Socrates questions Agathon in regards his speech and exausht him. When Socrates is done questioning him, he finishes saying “Ah well, it was still a beautiful speech, Agathon” (Socrates, 45) stating that he still gives him some kind of love even thought he insulted him to some extent by giving his opinion of love. In my perspective, this conversation proves that love can be hate and love will be what we want it to be, therefore I believe there is no type of love among the philosophers, but rather they all share something in between like

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