In The Symposium, Diotima asserted that the Form of Beauty contained four main particular intrinsic features. I will begin by explaining the four main features of Beauty itself . I will also explain the relation between the Form of Beauty and beautiful things. The first attribute Diotima asserted for the Form of Beauty was immortality and invariableness. Diotima claimed that Beauty itself ‘does not come into being or perish, nor does it grow or waste away’ (211a). Beauty itself has no beginning nor end, nor does it ever change. Immortality and invariableness are attributes not found in beautiful things. For example, human beings and physical objects are dependent upon their creators, and their characteristics undergo a process of continual
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Diotima claimed that Beauty itself ‘exists on its own, single in substance and everlasting’ (211b). Beauty itself goes beyond beautiful things. For example, whiteness in snow depends on the snow existing—whiteness being present in the snow. The Form of Beauty is not like this, since it does not depend on another substance or attribute to describe it. It is self-sufficient, and transcends the dependence that beautiful things have. Hence, the Form of Beauty differs from beautiful things because it is independent of attributes such as shape, color, external substances and so …show more content…
In The Symposium, Diotima’s account of the nature of love was complex in relation to the other speakers at the drinking party. I will begin by explaining Diotima’s view on the nature of love. I will also explain her reasons for why human beings fall in love in the first place. Diotima asserted to Socrates that ‘love is the desire to possess the good always.’ (206a). This definition of love was brought up through a dialectic process of questions and answers between Diotima and Socrates. In Aristophanes’s account above, the pursuit of wholeness itself was the good. However, in Diotima’s account, we have to pursue actual good things in order to reach the goal of all our desires, namely, eternal happiness. Thus, human beings ought to pursue or desire actual good things to achieve actual eternal
Diotima claimed that Beauty itself ‘exists on its own, single in substance and everlasting’ (211b). Beauty itself goes beyond beautiful things. For example, whiteness in snow depends on the snow existing—whiteness being present in the snow. The Form of Beauty is not like this, since it does not depend on another substance or attribute to describe it. It is self-sufficient, and transcends the dependence that beautiful things have. Hence, the Form of Beauty differs from beautiful things because it is independent of attributes such as shape, color, external substances and so …show more content…
In The Symposium, Diotima’s account of the nature of love was complex in relation to the other speakers at the drinking party. I will begin by explaining Diotima’s view on the nature of love. I will also explain her reasons for why human beings fall in love in the first place. Diotima asserted to Socrates that ‘love is the desire to possess the good always.’ (206a). This definition of love was brought up through a dialectic process of questions and answers between Diotima and Socrates. In Aristophanes’s account above, the pursuit of wholeness itself was the good. However, in Diotima’s account, we have to pursue actual good things in order to reach the goal of all our desires, namely, eternal happiness. Thus, human beings ought to pursue or desire actual good things to achieve actual eternal