plato love + desire Flashcards
Which character does Plato use in Phaedrus?
Socrates
What idea does Plato, through the character Socrates offer in Phaedrus?
The idea that sexual desire urges the soul to grow wings + take flight
What does Plato compare desire to?
Fire
What does Goldhill say about self control?
Proper love is about self control
What does Plato say about the difference between friendship, love + desire?
Friendship is affection for someone w whom we have smth in common
Desire is specifically physical
Love is the ‘intense’ feeling for friendship
What does Goldhill say about sexual love?
Sexual love exposes human fragility
What does Plato stress the importance of controlling? Where does he say this?
In the republic, moderation of food + desire
What does Plato compare immoderate love to? Where?
In the Republic, immoderate love is behaviour of the extreme tyrant
What are desires compared to in Phaedo?
Desires are compared to nails hammered into the soul
What does Alcibiades compare Socrates’ restraint to in the Symposium?
Endurance on military campaign
What does Plato state concerns of in Laws?
If society was relaxed where men + women could spend time together, there would need to be more surveillance of them to stop them from fulfilling desire
Where is the horse + chariot analogy shown?
Phaedrus
What is said about the horse + chariot analogy?
Socrates says the black horse reps instinctive desire + the white horse is moderation
A charioteer has the job of searing the 2 horses who naturally oppose each other
What does Plato say about homoerotic relationships in Laws?
Unnatural - the practice originally arose bc of the failure to control desire
Who say sexual love exposes human fragility?
Goldhill
What does Aristophanes say about sex in the Symposium?
The symposium is important for procreation but allows people to relax
Why does Plato say desire should be controlled in the Republic?
It’s in everybody’s best interest to be moderate + self controlled
What does Plato compare immoderate love to? Where is this?
In the Republic; immoderate love is behaviour of an extreme tyrant
What does Plato say about dreaming in the Republic?
Everyone experiences desires in their dreams, but our rational self can control these desires when we wake
What did Socrates say in Phaedo?
Socrates’ last words were that the true philosopher can rise above desires + use reason to make choices
What does Eryximachus say in the Symposium about desire?
‘Moderate love’ is healthy
‘The brutal love’ is sick
How does Diotima refer to desire?
A creative search for immortality
What concern was expressed in Laws?
If society wasn’t so prude-ish in how much time men + women spent tog, more surveillance would be needed to stop them having sex
Who in the symposium suggests that pederastic relationships could benefit the state?
Pausanias, Eryximachus, Phaedrus + Alcibiades