Friday, September 30, 2011

Diotima's Beauty

We read Plato's Dymposium in art and philosophy. Diotima (Socrates' 'teacher in the art of love') gives a sort of poetic argument about the nature of beauty:

1)Humans love
2)To love is wanting to posses the good forever
3)Humans are mortal
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Humans cannot achieve the object of love

1)Beauty is a good which last forever (or a long while)
2)Humans cannot achieve the object of love but strive after it
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In attempting to achieve immortality and union with the good humans create beauty

I feel there's a way to strengthen the inference in the second arguement, any thoughts?

1 comment:

  1. I can never understand these types of conversations about love, and what it is, and if we can obtain it, etc etc. I guess I see this like religion, being that there are many types, and how can I say any one of those types is correct. Like love, who is right about it?

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