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《the significance of alcibiades’ speech in plato’s symposium：阿西比底斯的演讲在柏拉图的研讨会的意义》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、THESIGNIFICANCEOFALCIBIADES’SPEECHINPLATO’SSYMPOSIUM!AcommonconstrualofPlato’stheoryoflovemightbesummedupasfollows:loveisadesire,arisingfromalackordeficiencywithinthelover,topossesstheGoodforever,wheretheGoodisunderstoodasaneternal,unchangingIdeaorFormexis
2、tinginsometranscendentalrealmofeternalessences.Becausethisloveischaracterizedasadesirerootedinneed,criticshavesometimesseenitasappetitiveandthusegocentric.(Nygren)IntheconvenientlanguageofC.S.Lewis,itisaneedloveratherthanagiftlove.!Othercriticshavearguedt
3、hatbecausetheobjectofPlatonicerosisatranscendentForm,Platofailedtounderstandtheloveofpersons.Persons,theargumentruns,canonlybelovedasmeanstotheendofattainingoftheGood.(VlastosandSinger)IwishtoofferareadingoftheSymposiumthatrespondsbothofthesecriticisms.!L
4、et’sbeginbyfollowingPlato’sanalysisofloveasitunfoldsinDiotima’sinstructionstotheyoungSocrates.Throughasuccessionofsteps,Socrateslearnsthatloveisofbeautifulthings,thattheloverdesirestheybecomehis,thatbeautifulthingsarealsogood,thatpossessingsuchthingswillm
5、akeonehappy,and,finally,thattheloverwishesthatthey,andindeedtheGooditself,behisforever.(206A)Itmightappearatthispointthatacompletetheoryoflovehasbeenpresented,summedupinDiotima’sformula:“Inawordthen,loveiswantingtopossessthegoodforever.”(206A)Whatmoreneedb
6、esaid?!Butjustherethetheorytakesasurprisingturn.DiotimaasksSocrates,“Whatistherealpurposeoflove?Canyousay?”(206B)Ratherthangivingeitheroftheobviousanswers--happinessorpossessingtheGoodforever--Socratesresponds:“IfIcould[say],...Iwouldn’tbeyourstudent,fille
7、dwithadmirationforyourwisdom,andtryingtolearntheseverythings.”(206B)SoDiotimaprovidestheanswerherself:“Itisgivingbirthinbeauty,whetherinbodyorinsoul.”(Ibid.)Classiciststellusthatthelocution,“givingbirthinbeauty,”wasaspeculiarinancientGreekasinmodernEnglis
8、h.ThuswecansympathizewithSocrateswhenheresponds,“Itwouldtakedivinationtofigureoutwhatyoumean[Diotima],Ican’t.”(Ibid.)So,onceagain,Socrates’instructrusintheartoflovecomestotherescue,butthistimewithanevenmoreoutlandish
