Symposium - Tapa blanda

Plato's Symposium sees Socrates and other participants discuss various philosophic topics, from the nature of love to the origins of mankind.

As well as being an influential text of philosophy, the Symposium is important for how it sheds light upon the social scene of Ancient Athens. The dialogues are set at a gathering of men at a drinking party, discussing the various topics over wine. When love is discussed, each man must give a speech with his definition of the concept, the contribution of each being taken by Socrates into the overall philosophic argument.

Although almost certainly a work of fiction, the setting is thought to mirror that of a typical gathering of Plato and his contemporaries. The style of writing is quite plain and accessible, with the love discussed being that of homosexual love between the philosophers and other members of the general entourage. The discussion feeds into Plato's general theory of the Forms, which would be developed and matured later in his writings within works such as The Republic.

Translated by Oxford scholar and prolific translator Benjamin Jowett, this edition of Plato's Symposium is perfect for those wishing to benefit from the myriad insights and ideas of Platonic dialogues at a low cost.

Born to a politically connected and aristocratic family between 428 and 423 B.C. , Plato received a good standard of education at an early age, and was able to immerse himself in the intellectual community of Ancient Athens. His most notable contemporary and mentor was Socrates, an eccentric but highly capable philosopher who was to feature as a principle character in most of Plato's scholarly writings. Owing to his high standard of education in art, mathematics, rhetoric and philosophy, Plato was able to assemble a comprehensive philosophy of his own via his favoured form of writing which was the dialogue. In total, over thirty of these Platonic dialogues have survived the passage of time - and together they form the backbone of Ancient Greek philosophy. After enjoying success as a writer and academic, Plato in 385 B.C. founded The Academy. This school was to unite the most capable thinkers of Greece, and would help to advance learning throughout Greek society's Golden Age. It was in the Academy that Plato would instruct and apprentice Aristotle, who was to go on to gain renown as a philosopher and scholar. Owing to his reputation Plato was hired by Dion, whose nephew Dionysus II was the rightful ruler of Sicily - Dion wished his nephew to receive a good education in the art of sound and wise governance. However Dionysus II became suspicious and accused both Plato and Dion of conspiracy - after some time spent under arrest, Plato returned to his homeland. In his late period, Plato continued to tutor and mentor the best young minds of Athens, and he would perish around 348 B.C. having lived beyond the age of eighty. Today Plato's legacy remains lauded: the philosopher ably used logic and reason to imbue insight on democratic governance, while developing a cohesive philosophy on topics such as art, metaphysics, justice and the 'Theory of Forms' - his iconic take on how ideas related to reality.