The Symposium and the Phaedrus: Plato's Erotic Dialogues (Suny Series in Ancient Greek Philosophy)

Rating:
Summary: Some of the best work by histories greatest writer
Review: Yes, Plato could write. He's the best writer ever. Better than Mike Royko, Lester Bangs, Stephen King, Anne Rice, George Will, Homer, Albert Einstein, Stephen J.Gould, Richard Dawkins, William Shakespeare, Ovid, Lao Tzu and Tom Clancey. Aside from a fine pen, this man had a mind beyond belief. He's also much more intelligent than those other authors-only Lao Tzu challenges him (just a little). He worshipped his martyred teacher Socrates, and wrote about him in most of his works.

These works deal with Love, and Plato never just gives you anything. First he has to make you see how little you know about the subject, then he sets you on the right path.

"The Symposium" deals with a party the day after a rather intense drinking party-everyone (almost) is on the verge of a hangover, no one wants to drink to excess, some not at all. They decide to tell stories about Love in mythological style, drinking either wine or water. Socrates goes last, but all the stories are worthwhile-actually there is a mathematical subtext to this that those of you interested in math might enjoy finding out on your own. No doubt there is much here I've never fathomed, and never will. We are left with the impression that the story of Socrates is the most accurate, but the reader (to truly understand) must come up with an explanation of his own, in similar style to the people at the symposium. Plato's books are very intreractive.

Phaedrus is the most inspirational thing I've ever read. It explains Erotic as well as other types of love in basically the same manner, and if I could tell you how beautiful it is, I would. It can take a guy that spends half his time working on his phd and the other half working with amateur wrestlers & wrestling and make him feel like Don Juan. I never appreciated those self help books much, but I actually was inspired to walk up to a strange woman and tell her we'd met in another life after reading this, and she replied that yeah, she thinks she remembers me. It was one of the best moves I ever made, and we've never stopped feeling this way about each other. Enjoy, Learn, and be Happy.