This lecture takes three ideas from Socrates' famous speech on love (eros) in Plato's Symposium and advances them as providing a plausible contemporary understanding of beauty: first, love desires to possess beauty; second, love desires to 'give birth' in beauty's presence; and third, love drives lovers to place beauty in ever broader contexts. These ideas bear remarkable similarities to Nietzsche's views on beauty and illuminate the importance of beauty as a value in the general economy of life.
This presentation keynotes the conference Life, the Universe, Everything—and More: Plato's Timaeus Today held September 13–16.

Hosted by: Department of Philosophy,  Department of the Classics

In conjunction with: more than forty-five campus units and community organizations are supporting this presentation.

WILL-AM580 FOCUS interview with Alexander Nehamas