Plato's Symposium

by Stanley Rosen

This is the first full-length study of the Symposium to be published in English, and one of the first English works on Plato to take its bearings by the dramatic form of the Platonic dialogue, a thesis that was regarded as heterodox at the time but which today is widely accepted by scholars of the most diverse standpoint. Rosen was also one of the first to study in detail the philosophical significance of the phenomenon of concrete human sexuality, as it is presented by Plato in the diverse characters of the main speakers in the dialogue. His analysis of the theoretical significance of pederasty in the dialogue was highly controversial at the time, but is today accepted as central to Plato's dramatic phenomenology of human existence. Rosen discusses a variety of topics that had previously been neglected in the secondary literature, including the problem of the hybristic nature of the philosopher, the poetical dimension of Plato's conception of philosophy, and the theoretical implication of the difference between Platonic writing and Socratic conversation.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics

428 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1987

About the author

Stanley Rosen was Borden Parker Bowne Professor of Philosophy and Professor Emeritus at Boston University. His research and teaching focused on the fundamental questions of philosophy and on the most important figures of its history, from Plato to Heidegger.

Reviews

[Emi Paez Rokseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Platon var ikke dum

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wonder what that crazy animated scene in Hedwig and the Angry Inch was all about (the one played during the song "origin of love")? Well, it came from a dialogue in this book, which follows the conversations of Socrates and his friends as they enjoy a traditional symposium.

My favorite explanation is the theory that man and women were once attached, and very much in harmony with one another. However, the gods got jealous, and Zeus split men and women in two. The two sexes were doomed to spend the rest of eternity trying to find ways to find that harmony once again.

[Jared Ciocco · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hated this book. Mr. Rosen, your study is probably geared towards philosophy students, but as a Classics student I really struggled understanding 75% of your work. Even in my graduate seminar, we did not get through most of your text without difficulty, and I'm not sure how much it contributed to our seminar on the Symposium. I would recommend this text for ancient philosophy students with a strong background in Plato and Greek. But definitely not for other students, or people without a strong background in the material.

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable insight into how one accesses, recognizes, and takes the acquisition of wisdom to the next level: Beautiful rheotoric, outstanding clarity, and a fulfilling read.