It may sound like the set-up for a joke—“A playwright, a philosopher, and a general walk into party…” But, some 2,500 years after it was written, Plato’s Symposium remains a key text for philosophers, historians, writers, artists, and politicians.
Plato imagines a dinner party—a symposium—held in the Athens of the late fifth century b.c.e. He invites seven important historical figures including the philosopher Socrates, the comic playwright Aristophanes, and the notorious military general Alcibiades. As entertainment, each guest gives a speech praising eros (human love or erotic desire). Plato then “collects” these seven speeches into Symposium. Plato often used this “dramatic dialogue,” and many scholars consider Symposium to be the finest example of the technique.
From this vibrant contest of words, Plato presents key philosophical ideas about love, ethics, knowledge, and the fundamental nature of being. Combining a dynamic literary portrait of intellectuals at play with a series of radical philosophical concepts, Symposium continues to captivate and educate readers to this day.