What does Plato say about platonic love?

Platonic love, as devised by Plato, concerns rising through levels of closeness to wisdom and true beauty, from carnal attraction to individual bodies to attraction to souls, and eventually, union with the truth. Platonic love is contrasted with romantic love.

What do we learn from the story that Diotima tells about love being the son of resource and need?

Diotima gives Socrates a genealogy of Love (Eros), stating that he is the son of “resource (poros) and poverty (penia)”. In her view, love drives the individual to seek beauty, first earthly beauty, or beautiful bodies. Then as a lover grows in wisdom, the beauty that is sought is spiritual, or beautiful souls.

What does Diotima tell us about love?

Love is neither mortal nor immortal, but is a spirit, which falls somewhere between being a god and being human. Spirits, Diotima explains, serve as intermediaries between gods and humans. Because he was conceived on Aphrodite’s birthday, Love has become her follower, and has become in particular a lover of beauty.

Who was Diotima of Mantinea in Plato’s Symposium?

Diotima of Mantinea ( / ˌdaɪəˈtaɪmə /; Greek: Διοτίμα; Latin: Diotīma) is the name or pseudonym of an ancient Greek woman or fictional figure in Plato ‘s Symposium, indicated as having lived circa 440 B.C. Her ideas and doctrine of Eros as reported by Socrates in the dialogue are the origin of the concept of Platonic love.

Why does Plato Diotima say people only love what is good?

Diotima states this is because a special kind of love is separated from other loves to be referred to as such. For other loves we use other words such as poetry. Diotima also refutes Aristophanes’ story, saying a person will not pursue their other half, unless the other half is good. People only love what is good.

What did Plato say about friendship and Eros?

Plato on Friendship and Eros. Plato discusses love (erôs) and friendship (philia) primarily in two dialogues, the Lysis and the Symposium, though the Phaedrus also adds significantly to his views.

Who was Diotima and what did she do?

Greek priestess, philosopher, and teacher of Socrates. Although it is questioned whether or not Diotima was a historical person, there are few reasons to doubt it. We know of her through Plato’s Symposium, and there is some archeological evidence of her existence as well.