The Symposium |
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Author:
| Plato, |
Translator:
| Gill, Christopher |
Introduction by:
| Gill, Christopher |
Notes by:
| Gill, Christopher |
ISBN: | 978-0-14-044927-3 |
Publication Date: | Apr 2003 |
Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group
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Imprint: | Penguin Classics |
Book Format: | Paperback |
List Price: | USD $10.00 |
Book Description:
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In the course of a lively drinking party, a group of Athenian intellectuals exchange views on eros, or desire. From their conversation emerge a series of subtle reflections on gender roles, sex in society and the sublimation of basic human instincts. The discussion culminates in a radical challenge to conventional views by Plato's mentor, Socrates, who advocates transcendence through spiritual love. The Symposium is a deft interweaving of different viewpoints and ideas about the nature...
More DescriptionIn the course of a lively drinking party, a group of Athenian intellectuals exchange views on eros, or desire. From their conversation emerge a series of subtle reflections on gender roles, sex in society and the sublimation of basic human instincts. The discussion culminates in a radical challenge to conventional views by Plato's mentor, Socrates, who advocates transcendence through spiritual love. The Symposium is a deft interweaving of different viewpoints and ideas about the nature of love - as a response to beauty, a cosmic force, a motive for social action and as a means of ethical education.