In Plato’s Symposium, the speech of Diotima explains how the philosopher should practice eros, beginning with love for one beautiful body then ascending the ‘ladder of love’ until finally he reaches a glimpse of the Form of Beauty itself. Explain how this works in Plato’s philosophy: how does he place eros into service of philosophy? Compare the figure of Alcibiades to the figure of Socrates: how do they demonstrate the contrast between a philosopher practicing eros properly, and the failure to properly practice eros? *This response requires two citations from Plato’s Symposium: one from the Speech of Diotima and one from the Speech of Alcibiades.
Sample Solution
