It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of no. Just wanted to give you a quick heads up that weve recently spun out a collection of free philosophy ebooks from our larger, more diverse collection of 600 free ebooks. The guestsincluding the comic poet aristophanes and plato s mentor socrateseach deliver a short speech in praise of love. This classic discussion on love is presented in its. The dialogues of plato, written between 427 and 347 bc, rank among the most important and influential works in western thought. Look for the on plato s symposium translation for a more literal version, available in a dialogues of plato. Full text of the symposium of plato, internet archive. Symposium the ladder of love by allan bloom on plato s symposium by seth benardete includes bibliographical references counter plato, allan bloom wrote, is the most erotic of philosophers, and his symposium is one of the greatest works on the nature of love ever written. As in 33 minutes into the 2nd book in the audio version, i was 12 way through the 3rd book.
Symposium annotated by plato plato, paperback barnes. The topic of love is taken up in the form of a group of speeches, given by a group of men at a. Love and beauty in platos symposium it is a widely held view that according to the symposium the ultimate or primary object of love is the form of beauty. The discussion culminates in a radical challenge to conventional views by plato s mentor, socrates, who advocates transcendence through spiritual love. So dialogue plays a smaller role in the symposium than it does in platos other dialogues. Full text of the symposium of plato, see other formats. According to apollodorus, soon after aristodemus and socrates arrive at. Of all the works of plato the symposium is the most perfect in form, and may be truly. Res publica was written in 380 bc and this version was translated by benjamin jowett in 1871. M4b compatible with most audio book players and itunes. As plato s bestknown work, it has proven to be one of the worlds most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually and historically.
In symposium, a group of athenian aristocrats attend a party held by agathon to celebrate his victory in the drama festival of the dionysia. But yours is bright and full of promise, and was manifested forth in all the splendour of youth the day before yesterday, in the presence of more than thirty thousand hellenes. I tried to listen to this recording a month ago when we were going over the republic. It is a fiction book in the format of a discussion between socrates and others. Plato the republic free audiobook audio books, podcasts. Plato constructed the symposium as a story within a story within a story. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The books are fairly no frills, but the price isna. The trial and the death of socrates audiobook plato.
Symposium was written around 384 bc, and many would regard it as plato s finest dialogue, from an artistic point of view, and the most enjoyable to read or listen to. At once a historical document, a philosophical drama that enacts abstract ideas in an often lighthearted way, and a literary masterpiece, it has exerted an influence that goes well beyond the confines of philosophy. Nov 14, 2012 the symposium by plato full audio book ancient greek philosophy subscribe to greatest audio books. Of all the works of plato the symposium is the most perfect in form, and may be. This is one work that i would almost force everyone to read.
The origin of species by means of natural selection charles darwin. Look for the on plato s symposium translation for a more literal version, available in a dialogues of plato paperback. The symposium is considered a dialogue a form used by plato in more than thirty works but in fact, it is predominantly a series of essaylike speeches from differing points of view. Benardete apollodorus, in my own opinion, i am not unprepared for what you ask about. In symposium, a group of athenian aristocrats attend a party.
The republic 380 bc by plato is a socratic dialogue, concerning the definition of justice, the order and character of the just citystate and the just man. It is a discussion on the nature of love, taking the form of a. You can listen to the symposium to find out platos thoughts on the nature and purpose of love. Symposium plato audiobook and ebook all you can books. The trial and the death of socrates remains a powerful document not least because it gives a firsthand account of the end of one of the greatest figures in history. The symposium by plato full audio book ancient greek. In apology, socrates defends himself before the athenian court against charges of corrupting youth. Symposium is not my favorite dialog to read, but it is my favorite to listen to. It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory, and arguably platos best known work. If youre into this feeling, you should definitely listen carefully to this book. The main publisher of plato s works on audio is agora publications, inc they are the only publisher to offer an unabridged dramatized version of plato s republic. This is the best audio book of platos republic and its free. Form of the good, or more literally the idea of the good. The symposium is a philosophical book written by plato.
On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and. Full text of plato s symposium see other formats plato symposium trans. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love, on another level the book deals with the topic of knowledge, specifically how does one know what one knows. Socrates and aristodemus will attend a banquet at agathon, with aristophanes, appolodore, pausanias and. This architecture creates the space for plato to build his philosophy of knowledge. Sep 07, 2016 the dramatic nature of plato s dialogues is delightfully evident in symposium. It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory, and arguably plato. Two important dialogues offer crucial insights into mystical and aesthetic aspects of platonic doctrine. So dialogue plays a smaller role in the symposium than it does in plato. The marriage between character and thought bursts forth as the guests gather at agathons house to celebrate the success of his first tragedy. It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable men attending a banquet.
My first foray into plato and a good place to start an easy going quick read book. A model of the kind of text one needs for lecture courses. The greek word sumposion means a drinking party a fact shamefully ignored by the organizers of. Symposium study guide contains a biography of plato, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. This is the best audio book of platos republic and its. Bury, the symposium of plato, 214e crossreferences to this page 3. Griffiths translation is well chosenit is swift an unlabored, perfect for a dramatic presentation. Symposium gives a picture of the sparkling society that was athens at the height of her empire.
Platos symposium is one of the most loved classics from the ancient world, a work of consummate beauty as both philosophy and as literature, most appropriate since the topic of. There are many reasons for this, including the keyhole glimpse it gives us of athenian society. For my money a good translation, very readable and entertaining and good forward explaining the work, which i read afterwards. The symposium by plato meet your next favorite book. Although it was written more than two thousand years ago, many of the ideas and thoughts expounded here are still very much relevant to modern society. To learn more about platos and socrates ideas of justice and political theory, listen to the republic, available as a full cast dramatization an audio download. Symposium is central in plato s philosophy, since it talks about love and ideas. Symposium the ladder of love by allan bloom on plato s symposium by seth benardete includes bibliographical references counter plato, allan bloom wrote, is the most erotic of philosophers, and his symposium. The topic of love is taken up in the form of a group of speeches, given by a group of. M4b audiobook 70mb download cover art download cd case insert.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The greek word sumposion means a drinking party a fact shamefully ignored by the organizers of modern symposia, and the party described in platos. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love, on another level the book. The symposium audio book librivox audio books bookdesign. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. Purchase a copy of this text not necessarily the same edition from. This audio book gave me that feeling like i wanted to cry, not because i was sad, but because i was so moved. Free audio book that you can download in mp3, ipod and itunes format for. The dramatic nature of plato s dialogues is delightfully evident in symposium. This dialogue is unlike the others of plato, in as much as, socrates does not question the others in the dialectical fashion, except briefly. Phaedo is the account by a young man of the actual last words and moments of.
It is a discussion on the nature of love, taking the form of a group of speeches, both satirical. The annenberg cpbproject provided support for entering this text. It aims to debate and conclusively determine the meaning of justice. The symposium plato audiobook the symposium ancient greek. Plato s symposium is an exceptionally multilayered dialogue. Platos writings have been revised and interpreted by a variety of publishers. They talk about love until the drunken alcibiades bursts in, and decides to talk about socrates instead. Here is a complete audiobook of platos symposium, translated by benjamin jowett. The marriage between character and thought bursts forth as the guests gather at agathons house. The symposium, as plato intended it, succeeds both as a work of philosophy, and as a work of seriocomic theater. The greek word sumposion means a drinking party a fact shamefully ignored by the organisers of modern symposia, and the party described in platos. For you would have filled me full with a stream of wisdom plenteous and fair. In his celebrated masterpiece, symposium, plato imagines a highsociety dinnerparty in athens in 416 bc. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading plato.
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