In one of the most beautiful texts in world literature, The Banquet, Plato expounded what would become his doctrine on love.
The narrative that recalls a party that took place at the house of a famous poet (Agathao) will trigger a series of praises to the god who, it was believed, had not yet received the praises of men. Thus, the god was seen by different characters, from the oldest god and therefore a good educator, passing through a universal cosmic force that generates beings, to a double characteristic, one vulgar and the other ascetic, as well as the youngest god, more beautiful and therefore irresponsible, creative, etc.
When it is Socrates’ turn to speak, the problem arises: Socrates does not know how to speak well (eloquence). He doesn’t know how to praise, but he would like, in dialogue, to talk about the god. And his first question is: what is love? That is, before talking about whether it is good or bad, beautiful or ugly, whether it helps or hinders education, we should know what it is. To everyone’s bewilderment, Socrates defines love as the pursuit of beauty and goodness. And that being so, he himself cannot be beautiful or good. Those who love want something they don’t have. When you have it, you don’t want it anymore, or if you want it, you want to keep it in the future, which means you don’t have it. And everyone only wants the best, no one chooses evil willingly. Therefore, love is the desire for the beautiful and the good. This definition allows for a universal understanding of the object (love). But we must also not believe that because it is not good, love is bad. It is not a necessary conclusion. For this, Socrates will tell you what Diotima told him about love.
To combat the myth that he had just heard from the mouth of a comediographer (Aristophanes – myth of the soul mate), Socrates shows what he learned from the one who initiated him in the mysteries of love. Diotima told our philosopher that during a feast, all the gods were invited, except the goddess Penuria. Hungry and isolated, she sought food from the remains of the party. However, when seeing the Astuto god, resourceful god, full of resources and who was drunk, lying in a garden, the goddess decided to have a son with him. From there, the god Eros (or love) is born, who assumes the characteristics of his parents. Like his mother, he is poor, needy, hungry, desiring. But like his father, he is noble, resourceful to achieve whatever he sees fit, satiating his needs.
On a cosmic level, the function of the god is to link men to Zeus, being an intermediary between them. To the gods, love takes the supplications of men, their desires, their doubts and needs through prayers and prayers. To men, the god of love brings recommendations to sacrifices and honor to the gods. Therefore, being neither good nor evil, mortal and also immortal, love is what leads us to always choose the best, to do good. It dies, like a dying desire, but soon inflames us again, reborn in the souls of men. However, what is the beauty and the good that love seeks?
Don’t stop now… There’s more after the publicity 😉
For Plato, at the most immediate level, love refers to our sensitivity and appetites, especially the sexual one. We see, from a body, the beauty, and the desire to procreate in it. This means, unconsciously, that the desire for a beautiful body is the attempt of matter to eternalize itself. Children are a way for parents to be eternal. However, beauty is not just the body, so much so that as soon as this desire fades away, we realize that other bodies also attract us. Thus, we move from the singular (individual) to the universal (all individuals). But even this does not consist of beauty, it only participates in the idea. For Plato, we go up steps in understanding beauty, from bodies to actions in science, arts and politics, which expand the idea of beauty. But it is itself an idea, guiding human actions, which directs souls towards the absolute good that cannot simply be conquered by the incarnated man.
Therefore, man, as a body-soul duo, will never know the truth in an absolute way. That is up to the gods alone. But that doesn’t mean it should stop developing. It is moral to act always looking for the best. Man, being a desiring intermediary between the gods and other non-conscious beings, is responsible for seeking knowledge that brings him closer to the gods, not letting himself be fascinated by the sensible, but seeking to understand the intelligible, the realm of ideas, what exactly is knowledge. . Thus, naturally, man is a philosopher (or should be!) seeking wisdom, understanding the best way to use the part that is main to him – the soul – to act, to be the owner of desires, understanding the function of each one and not become their slaves.
By João Francisco P. Cabral
Collaborator
Graduated in Philosophy from the Federal University of Uberlândia – UFU
Master’s student in Philosophy at the State University of Campinas – UNICAMP