1. Socrates
The two fathers of this beautiful child "have a much closer partnership with each other and a stronger bond of friendship than parents have, because the children of their partnership are more beautiful and more immortal." (209c, my emphasis) Though the lover is initially inspired by his beloved's physical as well as mental beauty, the emphasis of the homoerotic relationship Diotima describes is not on the sexual gratification of the lover, but rather on the perpetuation of the lover's virtue and wisdom through teaching the beloved. ... Not only can the man implant the seed of his p...
But, the beloved somehow disappears (even if he remains a silent partner) in the overwhelming madness that accompanies the quest for and vision of wisdom. ... The problem with the beloved in the pederastic relationship is his original physical attractiveness, or even spiritual attractiveness, for a certain disharmony between the original carnal love and the love for Beauty itself and the ensuing ˜higher' creativity may persist. ...
The Greek philosopher Plato depicts the unclear relationship between physical and ideal beauty through the analogy of madness. Physical beauty is a medium in which ideal beauty is indirectly manifested. He views ideal qualities as unrelated to material aspects, and as a result, the physical world is...
Plato's View of Education in the Republic: The dialogue on theological principles picks up where it left off in the previous book, Book II. With Adeimantus and Glaucon as auditors, Plato recommences his attack on libelous poetry and fiction as unsuitable for the early education of the guardians of ...