Plato, Symposium, Eroticising the philosopher's love of wisdom

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Etymologically, philosophy is the love of wisdom : philo means indeed ?to love? (philia) and sophia, ?wisdom?. This love of wisdom however is not a passionate love. For the Greeks, the term philia contains the idea of friendship and of loyalty to others. Now, the same english world, love, is used to translate two different greek words. Love is first used to translate philia. But there is another kind of love, namely, eros, whose translation is identical. This word eros was used by Greeks to refer to a passionate, intense and violent desire for something. It is used often to refer to a sexual desire, the carnal passion one feels for someone. Hence, saying that ?Alcibiades loves (philia) Socrates? has a totally different meaning than saying ?Alcibiades loves (eros) Socrates?. The former supposes that Alcibiades loves Socrates as a friend, objectively, because he recognized in him some dispositions, some qualities. The latterr would suggest, differently, that Alcibiades is sexually attracted to Socrates, that he longs to share his bed with him and having sexual intercourse. The meanings of love as philia and the one as eros are therefore strongly different. However, one maintains that ?in his dialogue Symposium, Plato succeeds in eroticizing the philosoher's love of wisdom?. According to this view, in the Symposium, Plato mixes up the two kinds of love. He introduces into the philia of philosophy the content of eros. Albeit the two kinds of love are clearly opposed, Plato would have brought into the philia of wisdom the characteristics of eros. Philosophy would not be just a philia of wisdom but also an eros of wisdom.

Is this opinion grounded ? Is the assertion that the philia of philosophy is ?eroticized? correct ? The examination in particular of Socrates' speech reveals that Plato identifies the quest for truth (so philosophy) with the lover's admiration of his beloved physical beauty (so eros): Plato in this sense effectively eroticized the philosopher's love of wisdom ...

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[...] Question : his dialogue Symposium, Plato succeeds in eroticising the philosopher's love of wisdom.” Discuss. Etymologically, philosophy is the love of wisdom : philo means indeed love” ( philia ) and sophia, “wisdom”. This love of wisdom however is not a passionate love. For the Greeks, the term philia contains the idea of friendship and of loyalty to others. Now, the same english world, love, is used to translate two different greek words. Love is first used to translate philia. [...]

[...] How can philosophy be inserted into love ? This supposes questionning the nature of eros. According to Socrates, Eros as a god, is love of something. This suggests that love implies a person who loves and another who is loved. Moreover, love is the desire of what it is the love. Consequently, love wants what the lover does not possess. The man who desires, in effect, “desires what is not available to him, and what he doesn't already have in his possession. [...]

[...] Ergo, philosophers have to love erotically to attain the truth. In loving beauty ( eros they manifest their love of wisdom ( philia Furthermore, in Socrates' praise of Eros, there is not merely the idea that erotic love plays a role in philosophy ( in other words that love is introduced into philosophy ) but also that eros triggers philosophy. This is the second point of view according to which, in being in love, we are also philosophers : philosophy is introduced into eros. [...]

[...] Even if the philosopher's love of wisdom is eroticized in the Symposium, it is still problematic to know if Plato really succeeded in doing it. This would imply first that Plato exposes his own theory in this dialogue, that which is still the object of strife between scholars ; and second, that Plato aimed at eroticizing love of wisdom. Now, this seems to be not his real purpose which was rather to elaborate erotic theory that could account for the metaphysics of desire”. [...]

[...] It is necesserary for him to reflect upon himself to elaborate his relation to true being. Philosophy, quest for truth, becomes an essential part of love. In Plato's Symposium, the philosopher's love of wisdom is therefore eroticized since it undergoes the same content as the erotic love. We can sum up the Plato's eroticizing of the philsopher's love of wisdom by three points. First, lovers and philosophers express the same desire : eros. Second, they are aroused by the same object : transcendent beauty. [...]