Love is a deep feeling that is mostly expressed through emotions and good deeds. A reasonable number of philosophers have dissected the concept of love from various perspectives. However, it has been proven that when philosophers question the concept of love, we are necessarily brought back to the question of the care of the soul. In this light, this essay will look into the concept of love from a philosophical perspective while concentrating on Plato’s symposium.
In Plato’s symposium, Socrates argues that “love cannot be beautiful because it is the desire to possess what is beautiful and one cannot desire that which one already possesses” (Levy, 1979) . According to Socrates, love is a mere means of attaining good things in life. In other words, Socrates believed that the love’s main motive is to yearn and seek or what is good as opposed to yearning for completion. Socrates’ thoughts can be interpreted to mean that when individuals love something or, they seek to possess the goodness that is in it. While Plato’s interpretation of love was a bit different for that of Socrates’ Plato seemed to agree that: “Love is desire for the perpetual possession of the good” (Plato, 1951, p. 86).
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In his animated speech, Socrates pointed out that love, in its very nature, is the desire for mortality and the beautiful. Moreover, Socrates associated love with the reproduction of species. When two individuals are in love, the desire to procreate comes naturally. More so, the desire to procreate is shows that the individuals want to last as long as they can together. In other words, “the philosopher’s love brings him as close to immortality as possible” (Amir, 2001) . Whenever we think of love or absolute beauty with an indestructible soul, the idea of living forever presents itself. Hence, while one may not bring children into this world or enact deeds that are of importance to society, the act of loving gives the philosopher “the privilege of being beloved of God, and becoming, if ever a man can, immortal himself.” (Plato, 1951, p. 95).
Plato believed that human beings were composed of body and soul. Each of these parts is governed by its own impulses. While the body is mostly concerned about carnal temptations and sensuality, the soul desires to be eternal. What is more, the soul cares more about the success of love that is attained through a deep spiritual relationship that strengthens the bond between the lover and the beloved. It is however obvious that it is in the nature of human beings to follow the desires of the body as opposed to the desire of the soul.
The nature of love in the symposium seems to contradict the nature of love in Phaedrus. In the symposium, love is portrayed as cam and serene. On the flip side, in the Phaedrus, love is interpreted as some kind of “divine madness”. Madness can be interpreted as a result of human infirmity or a release of such, true love is a madness of the latter sort (Amir, 2001) . However, the pervasive influence of the body over the soul makes it difficult for individuals to separate the desire of the body from the desire of the soul.
In summary, it is close to impossible to discuss love from a philosophical point of view without involving the idea of the immortal soul. As explained by both Plato and Socrates, when a couple is in love, the desire to stay in love forever is ever present. Given that the soul is the only part of the body that can last forever (according to Socrates) it bears noting that the soul plays a critical role in matters love.
References
Amir, L. B. (2001). Rationality as Passion: Plato’s Theory of Love. Pratical Philosophy, 4 (3), 6-14.
Levy, D. (1979). The Definition of Love in Plato's Symposium. Journal of the History of Ideas, 40 (2), 285-291. doi:10.2307/2709153
Plato. (1951). The Symposeum . New York: Penguin Books.
