Plato's "Phaedrus" is a dialogue between Phaedrus and the great Greek philosopher Socrates. Phaedrus has been spending the morning with Lysias, the...
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Dec 07, 2011
Scott
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The Phaedrus was not one of the dialogues we read in my Plato seminar in grad school, so I thought I'd finally tackle it. I didn't like it much. I'm guessing that that might be the influence of my particular professor, but I'm not sure.
Some of the other goodreads reviews are very well-written and do a nice job of analyzing the dialogue. Many highly recommend it.
The dialogue is a conversation between Socrates and Phaedrus out for a walk on a hot summer afternoon. They More...
Some of the other goodreads reviews are very well-written and do a nice job of analyzing the dialogue. Many highly recommend it.
The dialogue is a conversation between Socrates and Phaedrus out for a walk on a hot summer afternoon. They More...
Aug 14, 2010
Inkling
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A lot to chew on here, and worthy of many repeat visits. I was drawn to this by an article I read about a college class. The "final" for the students was to reenact this dialogue in their own words in one of the college's common areas; a prodigious feat of both memory and internalizing the material if ever there was one. The book itself is certainly worthy of such an effort. Although my interest waxed and waned depending on the subject at hand, there are a multifold of relevant and ins
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Dec 10, 2008
Rickeclectic
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Previously considered a lesser work by Plato, but more recently considered important because of Derrida. The text is about writing and oral communication and their role in telling the truth. The dialogue very cleverly intersperses the difference between true and false love with the difference between true and false rhetoric. In reading this, it helps to understand the opposition between Socrates and the sophists that pervades most of the other Platonic dialogues, but the Phaedrus can stand alon
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Jan 28, 2012
Paul
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Plato's dialogues take on greater depth and resonance the more of them one reads. Socrates' character in them remains much the same: seemingly diffident, almost self-effacing, as he asks a series of questions that gradually reveal unstated assumptions on the part of the person with whom he is speaking. What changes from one dialogue to the next is the particular area of interest that a dialogue engages, and the character of the person or people whom Socrates engages in conversation. In the ca
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Jun 07, 2011
Jeremiah
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This one is tricky. It ostensibly concerns love, madness, and the tripartite soul. To introduce these theories, elegant and loquacious speeches are read aloud or made up. Yet Plato implies that most speeches have little to no depth as they deal with appearances as opposed to the essence of reality. Thus I was confused as whether or not to believe Socrates' articulated agreement with Lysias' speech and then his just as articulated dismissal of his previous conviction. Plato's metaphor for the sou
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Jan 12, 2011
Dusty
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On a steamy Grecian afternoon, while the cicadas chirp, while their countrymen nap, Socrates and Phaedrus converse about the nature of love, and about truth and rhetoric. Generally, I find reading Plato a tiresome chore. That's somewhat less the case with Phaedrus, which is, so far, the spunkiest Platonic dialogue I've read. The "love" discussed here is not between a man and a woman -- I believe at this time women weren't considered capable of love? -- but instead between a man and his
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Jan 07, 2009
Jon
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Plato at his most playful. First Socrates presents one argument about romantic love (in a nutshell--that it's dangerous and not to be messed with), then professes to have changed his mind and presents an extreme counter to his own argument, (that love is a reminder of our true spiritual form and should be sought above all else). He finally reveals that he's just been messing with Phaedrus in order to show him how unwieldy and unreliable the art of rhetoric can be.
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Feb 15, 2009
Chris
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Plato is RIDICULOUS. In all the best ways. I'm sort of inclined to agree with a friend who said that if you're trying to sort out the Socrates from the Plato, a pretty good indicator for the Socrates is the concentration of dirty jokes. The Phaedrus is rife with them. It actually opens with Lysias arguing for hookup culture. That makes the subtle little ways that Socrates pulls out the rug from under you all the more delicious.e
Nov 18, 2011
Kristi
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Lots of really heavy philosophy in here that got pretty tough to understand at time. However, an interesting blend of topics: both love and rhetoric. If I knew more about philosophy, I probably would've understood the text more. Also, even though this is marketed as "the easy reading series," the translation wasn't as simple as I expected. Other classmates had a more straightforward (with modern English syntax) translation, which also might have aided my comprehension.
Mar 29, 2009
Samantha
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I strongly suggest that you read this if you're really ambitious about your reading. But if you're not willing to sit through it and really analyze the reading, you probably won't get any of it and might fall into the many traps Plato has set up.
If you've already read this dialogue and think it's simply about love, you'll definitely have to re-read it.
If you've already read this dialogue and think it's simply about love, you'll definitely have to re-read it.
May 19, 2008
Shawn
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God this is good stuff. Plato sends me.
"There is also a madness which is the special gift of heaven and the source of the chiefest blessings among men. This divine madness is of four kinds - the gift of prophecy, religious ecstasy in which the soul is purified from sin, poetical inspiration, and lastly the madness of love.
I might tell of many other noble deeds which have sprung
from inspired madness. And therefore, let no one frighten
or flutter us by sa More...
"There is also a madness which is the special gift of heaven and the source of the chiefest blessings among men. This divine madness is of four kinds - the gift of prophecy, religious ecstasy in which the soul is purified from sin, poetical inspiration, and lastly the madness of love.
I might tell of many other noble deeds which have sprung
from inspired madness. And therefore, let no one frighten
or flutter us by sa More...
Sep 05, 2011
Mandy
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One of Plato's dialogues that actually is a dialogue - Phaedrus isn't just a straw man for Socrates to use as he makes his argument, instead the two speakers guide each other to a mutual conclusion regarding the nature of rhetoric and (to a lesser extent) love.
The Nehamas/Woodruff edition is really comprehensive and useful, especially for the non-classicist.
The Nehamas/Woodruff edition is really comprehensive and useful, especially for the non-classicist.
Jul 18, 2011
Rachael
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I've always meant to read this, mostly because of the role it plays in The Charioteer. Much more about rhetoric than I realized, rather than actually being about the nature of love. I found the depictions of Greek religion, Platonic ideals, rebirth, etc. interesting in an academic sense and occasionally even beautiful.
Sep 11, 2010
Mando
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I found this to be one of the more approachable of the Platonic dialogues. Granted, I haven't read them all, but I've read enough to be a decent judge. Be forewarned, since Phaedrus convinced Socrates to leave the city, things go a little differently, but that's all I'll say so as to not spoil it for the rest of you.
Jul 25, 2010
Davejones
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The book has been often described as being badly constructed - with the second half disjointed from the first. However this sense of bad design is only on the surface - in fact this book is a perfect unity, that functions as a puzzle. Plenty of clues are there, but the puzzle is solvable only to those who already know!
May 29, 2009
Everett
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The dialogue calculating the pros and cons of the written vs. the spoken word, fits in a contemporary context regarding memory, specifically how our memory has become dependent upon www sources, while we maintain an omnipotence that is both tenuous and arguably illegitimately earned.
Oct 05, 2011
Pip
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Phaedrus is Socrates' discussion about love (eros). He moves from discussing love to discussing the nature of the soul. His argument is the basis for Aristotle's proof that there must be some sort of god, which was heavily influential on medieval philosphers and even apologists today. The reader should be aware that the context of Phaedrus is a man having an affair with a young boy (which was considered one of the greatest forms of love in Socrates' time). While most of what Socrates says ab
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Aug 13, 2010
Jay
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I've read this several times before. I had to read it in college for a classic rhetoric course. I fell in love with the text. It is in my opinion, the most playful Plato has ever been and also contains some of the most beautiful rhetoric I have ever read to date.
Aug 07, 2009
Nancy
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Read this for Core Concepts. Does anybody know what this means? I'm STILL confused like 5 years later. It may also be that I read this sophomore year when I was definitely more into my social life than really studying my face off...
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Feb 12, 2012
10brandyb
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I understand the cultural differences between now and them, but the man/boy love thing put me off while reading this. I walked away from this piece with the question of what is more powerful: culture or human nature?
Feb 22, 2010
Kevin
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I feel that many of the Greek books would do better to be read in a class or to take a class after so that the reader understands more. I find that I need to read these books a few times before truly grasping the ideas.
Dec 10, 2008
Cody
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Wow, this is pretty amazing. I spent a long time on this one, reading it again and again. It's essentially in two halfs: the first is three speeches on love, and the second is a discussion on rhetoric.
Apr 25, 2010
Nick
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This first part dealing with love is a bit strange, though I did find a few interesting insights. About halfway through the dialogue Socrates begins to treat the merits of rhetoric and the art of speaking, at which point the dialogue becomes very enlightening.
Jan 26, 2010
Lillian
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Through a dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus, Plato establishes the principles of rhetoric and the activity of the true philosopher. Only Plato can make a discourse such as this vibrant, exciting and mesmerizing all at once.
Plato is my guy.
Plato is my guy.
Jun 10, 2007
Nick
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This is a beautiful,deep, and hugely influential masterpiece by the greatest scribe the western world has known. According to how you choose to read it, it is a book about the mystical dimensions of love, the true nature of the soul, the art of rhetoric, the meaning of the written word, philosophy itself, or any number of other things. It includes some of the most resonant and timeless images for love, yearning, and the human soul found in western literature and has had a profound impact on the
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May 09, 2010
Been wanting to read this ever since finishing zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance....
Jan 02, 2012
Treus
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I thought this dialogue started off very slowly, but the last half redeemed it.
However, I enjoyed Socrates' speech in the Symposium much more. I think it's easier to understand, and I'd recommend starting there if you want to read Socrates' views on love/beauty.
However, I enjoyed Socrates' speech in the Symposium much more. I think it's easier to understand, and I'd recommend starting there if you want to read Socrates' views on love/beauty.
Oct 07, 2008
Nicky
rated it:
Phaedrus deals with two general topics, namely erotic love and rhetoric. There are some beautiful pieces of imagery and myth in Phaedrus: The chariot with two winged horses, the grasshoppers, Thoth's gift of letters to the Egyptians.
There are two primary arguments in Phaedrus:
1. That proper erotic love is a kind of divine madness that bears the soul upward to contemplation of beauty itself.
2. That rhetoric, in order to be an art and not mere trickery, must con More...
There are two primary arguments in Phaedrus:
1. That proper erotic love is a kind of divine madness that bears the soul upward to contemplation of beauty itself.
2. That rhetoric, in order to be an art and not mere trickery, must con More...
