Symposium - Plato

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Résumé :
In the Symposium, Plato presents a fantastic dinner-party set in Athens in 416 BC, where the guests include Aristophanes, Socrates, and the most famous Athenian of his day, Alcibiades. A sequence of dazzling speeches culminates in Socrates' brilliant account of the views of Diotima, a prophetess who taught him that love is our means of trying to attain goodness.

Biographie:
Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece.In Athens, Plato founded the Academy, a philosophical school where he taught the philosophical doctrines that would later become known as Platonism. Plato, or Platon, was a pen name derived, apparently, from the nickname given to him by his wrestling coach - allegedly a reference to his physical broadness. According to Alexander Polyhistor, quoted by Diogenes, his actual name was Aristocles, son of Ariston, of the deme (suburb) Collytus, in Athens.Plato was an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms in philosophy. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy. His most famous contribution is the Theory of forms, which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He is the namesake of Platonic love and the Platonic solids. His own most decisive philosophical influences are usually thought to have been, along with Socrates, the pre-Socratics Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although few of his predecessors' works remain extant and much of what we know about these figures today derives from Plato himself

Sommaire:
Plato, born around 428/427 BCE in Athens, was a key figure in shaping Western philosophy. Coming from an aristocratic family, he was exposed early to politics and philosophy. His relationship with Socrates was pivotal, and after Socrates' execution, Plato traveled before founding the Academy, one of the first higher learning institutions.Plato's works, including Republic, Phaedo, and Symposium, have had a profound impact on philosophy, especially through his theory of Forms, which distinguishes the eternal world of ideas from the changing physical world. Through these dialogues, he tackled justice, reality, and the soul's immortality, with Socrates often serving as his central character. His philosophy shaped not only Aristotle but generations of thinkers across many fields.Plato's influence extended into theology, political theory, and the sciences. His Academy became a hub of intellectual activity, attracting students from across the Greek world. Even today, his works, preserved for over 2,000 years, continue to inspire debate and reflection, cementing his status as one of history's most studied philosophers....