Arts & Ideas All we need is love
Feb 14, 2025
Join Dr. Susie Orbach, a renowned psychotherapist, alongside Classicist Armand D'Angour, who unpacks Plato's insights on love. Vittoria Fallanca, a Renaissance scholar, sheds light on the lesser-known god of requited love, Anteros. Catherine Wheatley and Mary Harrod dive into the evolution of romantic comedies, analyzing significant films through a philosophical lens. They explore love's complexities, the impact of social media, and the interplay between desire and commitment, revealing timeless themes in relationships that resonate today.
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Plato's Symposium
- Plato's Symposium depicts a dinner party in 416 BC where guests, including Socrates and Aristophanes, discuss Eros.
- Phaedrus initiates the conversation, asserting that Eros, the god of love, hasn't been adequately praised.
Aristophanes' Theory of Love
- Aristophanes, in Plato's Symposium, presents the idea that humans were once whole, four-legged beings.
- Zeus split them in half, and love is the desire to reunite with our other half.
Platonic Love Misunderstood
- 'Platonic love', meaning non-sexual affection, stems from a misunderstanding of Plato's Symposium.
- Alcibiades's failed attempt to seduce Socrates led to this interpretation, although such relationships were common in ancient Greece due to women's lack of education.
