Week 5 lecture notes PDF

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Week 5 lecture notes What is a symposium? A drinking party (wine). Student of Socrates, Apollodorus said, “My greatest pleasure comes from philosophical conversation” there is something essential to speaking to other people. Don’t try to look at everything so linearly, so logically, so rationally. You have to open up your mind to different ways of thinking. That is one of the first lessons of philosophy. The symposium is a drinking party where people come to drink and speak. They only speak about the nature of love. What does love mean? The idea that we have about love are very different than how the Greeks thought about love. Socrates said that we all have these ideas, and we think they are our ideas, but in fact they are not. They have been given to us. And we decide which one we accept and which one we don’t accept. We learn about love through television and movies (popular culture). Socrates said the way that society teaches us how to love, in what manner to love, may not ultimately be that healthy for us. At this time, there were many kinds of philosophies. Plato and Socrates were one of the many different kinds of philosophies, they were all very unique in the way that they look at the world. What does it mean to be cynical? A cynic is someone who questions values. A cynic would say that all government is bad. A cynic in ancient Greece always went around barefoot. They went around barefoot because they wanted you to ask questions. They made people feel uncomfortable. A philosopher is always an example for other people. They want you to think about why you have certain kinds of feelings. The nature of convention. Conformity. When you are convention, you have accepted the dictates of society you live in. you don’t question. A philosopher never accepts anything at face value. Just because it’s a rule, tradition doesn’t mean it has to be followed. Everything has to be analyzed. Define the notion of Eros. In English is called erotic, in ancient Greece, the god of love. Also, an emotion, feeling or disposition. Also lust. Ancient Greeks had no concept of agape (unconditional love). Comes from the old testament (Hebrew bible). When someone speaks of parrasia, it means that they speak freely. Every person in a democracy, speaks freely. The way Socrates speaks, sometimes hurts people’s feelings (offended). Speaking boldly, freely, philosophically. Speaking to get people to think about things. Socrates and Jesus spoke with paressia (speak and heal). Hostile and aggressive. Hypocrites, viper. Paraklesis, someone who consoles others. Therapy, therepeia, language of care and consolation. Soteria means healing. When people speak in philosophy, they are speaking with an attempt to heal. Allegory of the cave, when we live in the cave, we are mentally ill. Sigmund Freud, psychoanalysis. Analyzing the neurosis of the mind. Healing is a very important part of the philosophy. Salvation, according to Christianity you achieve salvation when you accept Jesus Christ as you lord and saviour. Daimon (individual spirit, conscience), breath (spirit). Individual spirit within you. Atopos someone who is strange, bizarre, eccentric, out pf place, crazy, maniac, not of your own time. (Socrates and Jesus) timeless. Greater than your time. Socratic irony, calling. Aware of your purpose. 1st Test:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Theology, the study of the human conception of god. Symposium, drinking party. Atopos, timeless, out of place, of your time, ahead of your time. Agape, unconditional love. Paraklesis + Paressia (essay question) define, explain, examples Daimon, communication with inner spirit, dialogue, character, spirit, psyche

Essay questions from Plato’s symposium, speech of Socrates: 1. Diotima, taught Socrates about love, eros. A woman. Two kinds of procreation, creation of life, through the body. And the soul, psyche, every soul Is unique. Individual spirit, character. Speaking and writing. Learning to speak and write well and effectively. 2. Ladder of love, stairs of love: - Sexual attraction, primal lust - Permissive, 3. All of the Speakers are men in Plato’s symposium. Homosocial. Masculine society. Why were men intended to be masculine? Warrior, cannot be afraid, weak. Women are into sports now. not allowed in the past. 4. Leviticus, homosexuality. 5. Sappho, woman, poet, island of lesbos, wrote about love with married women, anguish 6. Patriarchy, the heads of families are males. 7. History, histos, istoria, weavers/participation of women 8. Marquis de sade, sex with anyone or anything, natural inclination, sexual views? Psychotic. Political views? Death penalty. 9. Allegory of the cave, don’t talk about the story, philosophical meaning of the story. A philosopher is the person in the cave that leaves. 2 steps of the cave. Recognizing you are a slave, mentally ill. Becomes enlightened. What does it mean? Cured or enlightened of what? What happens after he leaves the cave? What is reality? Why he saw shadows? Talk about the realities that you see? 10. Bodhisattva, Buddhist figure that achieved enlightenment, nirvana (clarity, illumination, seeing the world and reality in a perfect form), karma, life after death, reincarnation 11. Socrates and Jesus were executed for healing the wounds of the world. Death penalty. Essay questions: 1. Paradox 2. Breath 3. Call 4. Leviticus 5. Allegory of the cave 6. Moses – laws from god/self 7. Philosophy...