Symposium and Phaedrus

Symposium attempts to find the ultimate manifestation of the love that controls the world, leading to mystic union with eternal & supercosmic beauty. Phaedrus discusses the psychology of love, resulting in the concept of the familiar Platonic "forms" as objects of transcendental emotion.

It has been said that, after the Bible, Plato's dialogues are the most influential books in Western culture. And of the dialogues, the "Symposium is the most delightful and accessible, requiring no special knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy or customs. Dramatizing a party in fifth-century B.C. Athens, the deceptively unassuming "Symposium introduces--in the guise of convivial after-dinner conversation--profound ideas about the nature of love. In "Phaedrus, here published together with the "Symposium, Plato discusses the place of eloquence in expounding truth. In both dialogues, Socrates plays the leading role, by turns teasing, arguing, analyzing, joking, inspiring, and cajoling his followers into understanding ideas that have remained central to Western thought through the centuries.