Symposium: Plato's Timeless Dialogue on Love, Desire, and the Nature of Beauty - A Foundational Work of Western Philosophy

by Plato, Tim Zengerink (Translator)

What if the secret to love's power lay hidden in a single night of storytelling?

Symposium is Plato's sparkling masterpiece of philosophy and drama. On the morning after a victory banquet, Aristophanes, Agathon, Phaedrus, Diotima-through-Socrates, and other brilliant Athenians agree to praise Eros instead of drinking to excess. Their speeches range from rib-tickling myth to cosmic revelation, culminating in Socrates' mysterious lesson from the seer love is the soul's ladder from bodily longing to the contemplation of absolute Beauty.



This contemporary edition breathes fresh clarity into Plato's Greek while preserving his humor and passion, making the dialogue vivid for modern readers who seek both intellectual rigor and literary delight.



What You'll Discover in This Modern



A Lively Banquet of Voices - From Aristophanes' twin-soul myth to Alcibiades' scandalous toast, every speech restored in crisp, engaging prose.Philosophy Woven with Storytelling - Experience ideas through character, humor, and dramatic tension, not dry abstraction.The Ladder of Love Explained - Follow Socrates step by step from physical desire to the vision of eternal Forms.Essential Context & Notes - Accessible introductions and footnotes illuminate historical setting, Greek terms, and key concepts.

Whether you're exploring Plato for the first time or returning to an old favorite, this edition of Symposium offers a feast for mind and heart alike.

98 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2025

About the author

Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."