Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 3

PHÆDRUS--SYMPOSION.

These two are the two erotic dialogues of Plato. Phædrus is the originator of both 1

Eros as conceived by Plato. Different sentiment prevalent in Hellenic antiquity and in modern times. Position of women in Greece ib.

Eros, considered as the great stimulus to improving philosophical communion. Personal Beauty, the great point of approximation between the world of sense and the world of Ideas. Gradual generalisation of the sentiment 4

All men love Good, as the means of Happiness, but they pursue it by various means. The name Eros is confined to one special case of this large variety 5

Desire of mental copulation and procreation, as the only attainable likeness of immortality, requires the sight of personal beauty as an originating stimulus 6

Highest exaltation of the erotic impulse in a few privileged minds, when it ascends gradually to the love of Beauty in general. This is the most absorbing sentiment of all 7

Purpose of the Symposion, to contrast this Platonic view of Eros with several different views of it previously enunciated by the other speakers; closing with a panegyric on Sokrates, by the drunken Alkibiades 8

Views of Eros presented by Phædrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon 9

Discourse of Sokrates from revelation of Diotima. He describes Eros as not a God, but an intermediate Dæmon between Gods and men, constantly aspiring to divinity, but not attaining it 9

Analogy of the erotic aspiration with that of the philosopher, who knows his own ignorance and thirsts for knowledge 10

Eros as presented in the Phædrus--Discourse of Lysias, and counter-discourse of Sokrates, adverse to Eros--Sokrates is seized with remorse, and recants in a high-flown panegyric on Eros 11

Panegyric--Sokrates admits that the influence of Eros is a variety of madness, but distinguishes good and bad varieties of madness, both coming from the Gods. Good madness is far better than sobriety ib.

Poetical mythe delivered by Sokrates, describing the immortality and pre-existence of the soul, and its pre-natal condition of partial companionship with Gods and eternal Ideas 12

Operation of such pre-natal experience upon the Intellectual faculties of man--Comparison and combination of particular sensations indispensable--Reminiscence 13

Reminiscence is kindled up in the soul of the philosopher by the aspect of visible Beauty, which is the great link between the world of sense and the world of Ideas 14

Elevating influence ascribed, both in Phædrus and Symposion, to Eros Philosophus. Mixture in the mind of Plato, of poetical fancy and religious mysticism, with dialectic theory 15

Differences between Symposion and Phædrus. In-dwelling conceptions assumed by the former, pre-natal experiences by the latter 17

Nothing but metaphorical immortality recognised in Symposion ib.

Form or Idea of Beauty presented singly and exclusively in Symposion 18

Eros recognised, both in Phædrus and Symposion, as affording the initiatory stimulus to philosophy--Not so recognised in Phædon, Theætêtus, and elsewhere ib.

Concluding scene and speech of Alkibiades in the Symposion--Behaviour of Sokrates to Alkibiades and other handsome youths 19

Perfect self-command of Sokrates--proof against every sort of trial 20

Drunkenness of others at the close of the Symposion--Sokrates is not affected by it, but continues his dialectic process 21

Symposion and Phædon--each is the antithesis and complement of the other 22

Symposion of Plato compared with that of Xenophon ib.

Small proportion of the serious, in the Xenophontic Symposion 24

Platonic Symposion more ideal and transcendental than the Xenophontic 25

Second half of the Phædrus--passes into a debate on Rhetoric. Eros is considered as a subject for rhetorical exercise 26

Lysias is called a logographer by active politicians. Contempt conveyed by the word. Sokrates declares that the only question is, Whether a man writes well or ill 27

Question about teaching the art of writing well or speaking well. Can it be taught upon system or principle? Or does the successful Rhetor succeed only by unsystematic knack? 28

Theory of Sokrates--that all art of persuasion must be founded upon a knowledge of the truth, and of gradations of resemblance to the truth ib.

Comparison made by Sokrates between the discourse of Lysias and his own. Eros is differently understood: Sokrates defined what he meant by it: Lysias did not define 29

Logical processes--Definition and Division--both of them exemplified in the two discourses of Sokrates ib.

View of Sokrates--that there is no real Art of Rhetoric, except what is already comprised in Dialectic--The rhetorical teaching is empty and useless 30

What the Art of Rhetoric ought to be--Analogy of Hippokrates and the medical Art 31

Art of Rhetoric ought to include a systematic classification of minds with all their varieties, and of discourses with all their varieties. The Rhetor must know how to apply the one to the other, suitably to each particular case 32

The Rhetorical Artist must farther become possessed of real truth, as well as that which his auditors believe to be truth. He is not sufficiently rewarded for this labour 33

Question about Writing--As an Art, for the purpose of instruction, it can do little--Reasons why. Writing may remind the reader of what he already knows ib.

Neither written words, nor continuous speech, will produce any serious effect in teaching. Dialectic and cross-examination are necessary 34