Description
Both the Symposium and Plato’s Republic lay out a vision for the role of philosopher’s and philosophy in society.Analyze the role of the philosopher in these two texts.Do they overlap in any serious ways or are they distinctly different?Both texts locate the philosopher within a broader context.What are these contexts and how do they connect with philosophy in both contexts?
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The Role of Philosophers in Plato’s Symposium and Republic
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Institution
1
The Role of Philosophers in Plato’s Symposium and Republic
Plato is well known for his fondness for delivering philosophical contents through his
writings. Through the Symposium and Republic texts, Plato uses dramatic devices such as the
use of myths, framing stories as well as the employment of divine signs and oracular utterances
to express his philosophies in the society. As a result, he gives the people an insight or another
perspective through which some of the existent issues can be changed to create better social
order. For instance, Plato’s philosophies from both texts give the people new understanding
about love, and also the shortcomings of justice and how it can be made better.
Symposium
In this text, Plato’s philosophy revolves around love and ideas. According to Phaedra, a
character in the text, having a lover is the highest good a man can have. He explains that love is
important because it prevents people from getting themselves involved with ugly or evil actions
and instead, doing good deeds only. Love has the power to influence an individual into doing
exceptional things1. For instance, in the text, Alcestis sacrifices to die for her husband because of
the love she has for him. In turn, she is rewarded by the gods by resurrecting her. In another
instance, Pausanias, in turn, views the problem and perceives that it is ill-posed. He thinks that
there are different types of love and that it should not generally be praised. It is imperative to
know what kind of love is worthy to be appreciated. People should also understand that actions
cannot just be described or labelled as good or bad by themselves. Instead, they are either
1
Vlastos, G. (1981). “The Individual as Object of Love in Plato,” in Platonic Studies, 3 – 34
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
2
beautiful or ugly depending on the manner in which we practice it. For instance, excessive
drinking of alcohol is generally a nasty behavior and a sign of irresponsibility. On the other hand,
drinking responsibly and reasonably honors us.
Love can also be perceived in the same way. It is not right to yield to a man that is
wretched in immorality and miserable behavior, but it is perfect to give praise to a man who
carries out himself in a respectable manner and value. For example, Pausanias offers approval to
the "Heavenly Aphrodite", which occurs among the men who express their love through both the
body and mind. ...
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