Plato flashcards

When was plato alive?

428–423 BC, died 348/347 BC

Just say he was around in the 4th century bc

Where did he live

Athens

What is pederasty?

a socially acknowledged relationship between an older male (the erastes) and a younger male (the eromenos) usually in his teens

ermenos?

“beloved”

often 12-17

erastes?

Older male/lover

often over 30

What is the symposium?

a philosophical dialogue that revolves around a banquet where various guests take turns delivering speeches in praise of Love. Notable guests include socrates and alcibidies

What does Pausanias say about relations

There are two types of love.

pandemian love (common) and uranian love (heavenly)

Common/pendemian love

does not deserve to be praised.

Interested in obtaining physical pleasures, seeks immediate satisfaction of lust

Uranian/Heavenly

only attracted by the male sex

An erastes who is concerned with ‘Heavenly Love’ will not pursue a boy who is too young to make a rational decision about the relationship they are about to enter.