Plato on Love: Lysis Symposium, Phaedrus, Alcibiades, with Selections from Republic and Laws

This collection provides the essential readings for a course on Plato’s views of sex and love, or a main component of more general courses on ideas of sex and love. Featured are the pre-eminent translations of Paul Woodruff, Alexander Nehamas, D S Hutchinson, Stanley Lombardo, and C D C Reeve. Reeve’s general Introduction provides a wealth of historical information about Plato and Socrates, and the sexual norms of classical Athens. His introductory essay looks closely at the dialogues themselves and includes sections on the following topics: Socrates and the Art of Love; Socrates and Athenian Paiderastia; Loving Socrates; Love and the Assent to the Beautiful; The Art and Psychology of Love Explained; and Writing about Love. A selected bibliography is also included.