Erixymachus follows Pausanias, only after Aristophanes is overcome with a fit of hiccuping -an appropriate interruption for the famous comedian who once mocked Socrates in The Clouds. Erixymachus, appropriately, praises Eros as the superiority of the medical art, over and above the legal craftsmanship of Pausanias. Recall that Erixymachus is a doctor, and is a follower … Continue reading The Symposium III: Erixymachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates, and Alcibiades
symposium
The Symposium II: Pausanias
While Phaedrus spoke from the point of view of the beloved, in defense of the god Eros as a pathway to virtue (courage and manliness), Pausanias, the old lover, posits a new thesis that all love does not merely lead to virtue. Instead he identifies that it is the behavior of the lover as the determining factor … Continue reading The Symposium II: Pausanias
