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The Symposium

by Plato

A dinner-party debate on love

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A dinner-party debate on love

Set at an Athenian gathering in 416 BC, Plato’s *Symposium* is arranged around a series of speeches praising love. Comic poet Aristophanes and Socrates are among the speakers; Socrates recounts Diotima’s teaching that love is a means of seeking goodness, and the evening also includes Alcibiades’ portrait of Socrates. This Oxford World’s Classics edition pairs the dialogue with an introduction and explanatory notes, giving the speeches historical and philosophical context.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in ancient Greek philosophy and Plato’s dialogues.
  • Those exploring philosophical accounts of love, goodness, and Socrates.
  • Readers who value editions with introductions and explanatory notes.

Themes

Love and the pursuit of goodnessPhilosophical dialogueSocrates and his public imageAncient Athenian social life

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The perfect books for the true book lover, Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve more groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers. Each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped our world.

Plato's retelling of the discourses between Socrates and his friends on such subjects as love and desire, truth and illusion, spiritual transcendence and the qualities of a good ruler, profoundly affected the ways in which we view human relationships, society and leadership--and shaped the whole tradition of Western philosophy.

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