DoubleCoog's Full Review: Paul Woodruff - Symposium
Two weeks late and a couple dollars short (thanks income share!), I came to realize that given my recent schedule & lack of "a life", I decided that I'd better choose a shorter book to review if I had any hopes of finishing my commitment to this write-off any time this summer. Not one to back down from a challenge, I decided to peruse some college texts to see if any "old reads" might fit the bill - short but complex, and with a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender relevance. My choice, a classic in every sense of the word, the Symposium, by Plato.
You see, this is my very late entry into the June 26 write-off to celebrate national Gay & Lesbian Pride month. I now humbly submit this review to add to those done by so many talented epinioneers some two weeks hence, including: caconti, kurt_messick mshawpyle, frazzledspice, Leah, kchowell, cowboydj, ed_grover, kcfoxy, forkids, caravan_70, endora60, arazim, gracef, redlass, jrk, ergo_propter_hoc, cmuir, stonehousellc, erik_kosberg, elorraine, expono and jasonkirk If you have not already had the pleasure, please access their reviews through the following link: http://cycleodyssey.epinions.com/book-Member_Write_Offs-GL, through the X-off link located at http://www.geocities.com/jpn5/x-off/ , or through individual profile pages.
Relevance in 21st Century America
While the book is considered a masterpiece among the many writings of one of the most prolific and effective philosophers and authors of Greek prose, given the original purpose of this review, I am more inclined to speak of a few select sentences early in the introduction in the version of the Symposium that I was reading, translated by Walter Hamilton in 1951. These early introductory words, presumably by Mr. Hamilton, and most likely in 1951, struck me for several reasons. And, the words follow:
“But before indicating briefly the points Socrates takes up or corrects in the earlier speeches, and trying to show the relation of the contents of his speech to the rest of Plato’s philosophy, we must first face a fact which is so repugnant to the orthodox morality of our times that there is a serious risk of its destroying the value and pleasure of the Symposium for many readers. The love with which the dialogue is concerned, and which is accepted as a matter of course by all the speakers, including Socrates himself, is homosexual love…. In approaching the Symposium, we must set aside our personal views as irrelevant and accept this state as historical fact, if we are to achieve much understanding either of this aspect of Plato’s thought or of the character of Socrates.
What struck me most odd was not the way Hamilton assumes that a majority would find this repulsive, nor was it that I didn’t remember that most of this discourse was in regard to homosexual love. No, it was that I was that I don’t remember these words making an impact on me having read them at least twice before.
Let me make things clear, we were not raised to be intolerant of anyone. A family story about us kids has us asking our mom if she realized that one of our friends was black; up to the point he told us, we had not realized there was any difference between us. I had several homosexual friends in high school, though most were still in the closet. Reading about homosexual love in college would not have shocked me, but in rereading this book, realizing that Mr. Hamilton’s introduction was still so socially acceptable in the mid-80’s does. The fact that back then this introduction was acceptable to me as mainstream surprises me, and I would think that few educators would be comfortable picking this translation with this introduction today.
Though admittedly, as far as tolerance and acceptance of alternate sexual preference and practice today is concerned, we as a society still have much to learn, it is apparent that much progress has been made towards tolerance and understanding in the last fifteen years.
The 4th Century BCE Dramatic Dialogue
The Symposium is a dramatic dialogue, presented in the form of a narrative. Plato writes with Appolodorus as narrator recounting the tale of a symposium, a Greek drinking party, which occurred many years ago as recounted to him by Aristodemus, a guest at this party. While this complex third hand account of these stoies allows Plato to cut to the chase (this is a very short work), by having Appolodorus state that he rechecked the salient points with Socrates, an honored guest at the Symposium, and the main focus of this work, the content is lent credibility.
Considered perhaps Plato’s best dialogue, the piece is very accessible, is written with great form, and provides a look at the character of each speaker as interpreted by Plato. The work begins with a dinner to celebrate the victory in a dramatic competition by Agathon, the tragic poet at whose house the party takes place. Afterwards, at the symposium, the group decides to eschew the typical flute girls and heavy drink and instead each speak in turn in praise of love.
As each speaker takes his turn, the talk progresses from talk of the basest loves, procreation and the lust for young boys, to the higher loves, which was predicated on an intellectual basis. In Greek life, this constituted love for men, “the stronger and more intelligent sex”. (Women in ancient Greece were not allowed to be part of Public Life). Later, love is discussed as a force of power, seeking beauty and good. Finally, Socrates explains while all love is good. While he first argues the importance of procreation in love, this refers to both the bearing of offspring and, the more important to him (and Plato) birthing of ideas with a partner in thought and intellect. Again, the idea that the most important love, the purest love is that between partners in thought and intellect, or “Platonic” love. Note, real platonic love did not necessarily preclude physical love in concert.
Finally, Alcibiades, a great admirer and disciple of Socrates, speaks in praise of Socrates, and in doing so personifies Love as Socrates – the highest of all Loves.
What Does This Mean?
So, is Plato saying that Homosexual Love is clearly a higher love? Well, yes he is. Would he today? I submit, no. Nor would he say that Heterosexual Love is a higher love.
Again, in Plato’s day, men and women had nothing in common, except that they needed each other to procreate offspring. Today, men and women have much more common ground, and can have the deeper intellectual, spiritual, and thought sharing love of which Socrates/Plato speaks. That is to say, as any strong couple will tell you, your lover and lifemate should be your friend, intellectual companion and soulmate first, before the physical love can take on any higher meaning at all.
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