Socrates Flashcards
1
Q
Who is Socrates
A
- the main character in most of Plato’s dialogues
- a citizen of Athens who practises Philosphy full time
- he was also, when a young a man, a tudent of the wise woman Diotima, who taught him about love - & who used the question answer method we typically associate with Socrates
2
Q
How is love defined by Socrates (Diotima)
-what form does it take
A
- Love lies between ‘morality and immorality”,
- making him neither god nor human,
- but “an important spirit” which “occupies the middle ground between humans and gods”
3
Q
How is love defined by Socrates (Diotima)
-purpose of love?
A
It has a “function” which is “to translate messages from men to gods and from gods to men”
4
Q
How is love defined by Socrates (Diotima)
-ladder?
A
- Love appears in many forms e.g. love of “appearance”
- love of “one attractive body”
- love of “the beauty of people’s activities”
- love of “the beauty of intellectual endeavour” (love of virtue and philosophy); * each of these is further up the Ladder of Diotoma, and each brings greater, more durable love than its former does
5
Q
How is love’s power described by Socrates (Diotima)
-universe
A
- Though it is not a god, it still has tremendous power,
- being responsible for “making the universe an interconnected whole”,
- showing how it is essentially Love that makes the universe a completed, fulfilled space, making it very powerful as without it, all would be fundamentally incomplete
6
Q
How is love’s power described by Socrates (Diotima)
-happiness
A
- Love has the power to bring one “eternal” happiness as it can create and recognise beauty that is not subjective to time, age or perspective
- This therefore portrays love’s great power as if it is realised on the highest level (love of beauty itself; love of knowledge and intellect) it can give one infinite happiness and satisfaction in life.
7
Q
What are the dangers of love according to Socrates (Diotima)?
-incomplete
A
- One of the risks is that it is so abundant that most people only access it on its most surface level (physical love),
- meaning they never gain full comprehension of the power and beauty can be obtained from love
8
Q
What are the dangers of love according to Socrates (Diotima)?
-children
A
- Most people choose to “birth children”
- but they risk not being able to access “eternal” beauty in love (love of intellect; philosophy) through their “ignorance”,
- meaning they remain low down on the Ladder of Diotoma
9
Q
What is Socrates (Diotima)’s views on homeroticism
A
- Love of a ‘‘boy’’ is on the first step of the Ladder of Diotoma, as “the right kind of love for a boy can help you ascend from the things of this world until you begin to catch sight
- of that beauty”
- This “love for a boy” can be heterosexual or homosexual, but is imperative in achieving love of true beauty, which is love in its purest form (the highest level of the ladder)
10
Q
What is the attitude towards women of Socrates/Diotima
A
- Women can be involved in this kind of love as long as they correctly climb the ladder of Diotoma and realise that children are not the purest form of Love
- as they can be ‘bad’;
- as long as she acknowledges that to access true love, she must find love and beauty in intellect, then she can be involved in this love.
- Unlike other viewpoints of love, it is not exclusive to men
11
Q
What is the ladder of Diotima & what is at the top
A
- The Ladder of Diotima –> one must climb the ladder in order to
“finally recognise true beauty” and experience the deepest form of love possible - At this highest level, love is no longer about individual people or things but about the essence of Beauty itself, which exists beyond time and space. This realization leads to the ultimate form of wisdom and fulfillment, making the lover immortal in a spiritual sense
12
Q
What are the 6 levels of the ladder of Diotima
A
- Physical Attraction – Love starts with attraction to a particular beautiful body.
- Love of All Physical Beauty – Realizing that beauty is not confined to one body but exists in many.
- Beauty of the Soul – Moving beyond physical beauty to appreciate virtuous qualities and intelligence.
- Beauty of Laws and Institutions – Admiring the moral and intellectual beauty in social and political life.
- Beauty of Knowledge – Loving wisdom and the pursuit of truth.
- The Form of Beauty (True Beauty) – At the top, one grasps Beauty itself: pure, eternal, and beyond the material world.
13
Q
According to Socrates, what should love be of?
A
- Love can and should be of intellectual things
- such as poetry, politics, drama or architecture, as this kind of beauty is durable and will bring “eternal” happiness and love,
- whereas love of another person/ love of children is ephemeral and will only provide happiness for a short amount of time
- (e.g. “men … have … engendered virtue in some form by creating works of beauty for public display” such as”poets such as Homer and Hestoid”)
14
Q
For Socrates, Love is interchangeably connected with …..
A
beauty
15
Q
What does Socrates think about the motivations for desire/ where it comes from
A
- Desire is born from lack – Socrates argues that people only desire what they do not yet have.
- If someone is truly wise or beautiful, they would not desire wisdom or beauty because they already possess it
- Love (erōs) is, therefore, not about possessing beauty but about striving for it
16
Q
What is desire about for Socrates
A
- For Socrates, desire is not merely about fulfilling personal pleasure
- It is a powerful force that drives people toward self-improvement, wisdom, and ultimately the pursuit of divine beauty and truth
- Instead of being purely physical, love and desire should lead the soul toward enlightenment.
