Mauro Tulli / Michael Erler (eds.) Plato in Symposium International Plato Studies Published under the auspices of the International Plato Society Series Editors: Franco Ferrari (Salerno), Lesley Brown (Oxford), Marcelo Boeri (Santiago de Chile), Filip Karfik (Fribourg), Dimitri El Murr (Paris) Volume 35 PLATO IN SYMPOSIUM SELECTED PAPERS FROM THE TENTH SYMPOSIUM PLATONICUM Edited by MAURO TULLI AND MICHAEL ERLER Academia Verlag Sankt Augustin Illustration on the cover by courtesy of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS. Ashmole 304, fol. 31 v. Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.ddb.de abrufbar. ISBN: 978-3-89665-678-0 1. Auflage 2016 © Academia Verlag Bahnstrasse 7, D-53757 Sankt Augustin Internet: www.academia-verlag.de E-Mail: info@academia-verlag.de Printed in Germany Alle Rechte vorbehalten Ohne schriftliche Genehmigung des Verlages ist es nicht gestattet, das Werk unter Verwendung mechanischer, elektronischer und anderer Systeme in irgendeiner Weise zu verarbeiten und zu verbreiten. Insbesondere vorbehalten sind die Rechte der Vervielfältigung – auch von Teilen des Werkes – auf fotomechanischem oder ähnlichem Wege, der tontechnischen Wiedergabe, des Vortrags, der Funkund Fernsehsendung, der Speicherung in Datenverarbeitungsanlagen, der Übersetzung und der literarischen und anderweitigen Bearbeitung. List of contributors Olga Alieva, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow Carolina Araújo, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Francesco Aronadio, Università di Roma Tor Vergata Ruby Blondell, University of Washington Sandra Boehringer, Université de Strasbourg Marcelo D. Boeri, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Chile Beatriz Bossi, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Francisco Bravo, Universidad Central de Venezuela Luc Brisson, CNRS, Villejuif Giuseppe Cambiano, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa Andrea Capra, Università degli Studi di Milano Giovanni Casertano, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Gabriele Cornelli, Universidade de Brasília Michele Corradi, Aix-Marseille Université Ivana Costa, Universidad de Buenos Aires Gabriel Danzig, Bar-Ilan University Piera De Piano, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Dino De Sanctis, Università di Pisa Margherita Erbì, Università di Pisa Mehmet M. Erginel, Eastern Mediterranean University Rafael Ferber, Universität Luzern / Universität Zürich Arianna Fermani, Università di Macerata Giovanni R.F. Ferrari, University of California, Berkeley Lloyd P. Gerson, University of Toronto Christopher Gill, University of Exeter Stephen Halliwell, University of St Andrews Edward C. Halper, University of Georgia Annie Hourcade Sciou, Université de Rouen Chad Jorgenson, Université de Fribourg Yahei Kanayama, Nagoya University Filip Karfík, Université de Fribourg Christian Keime, Université Paris IV-Sorbonne / University of Cambridge Manfred Kraus, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen Yuji Kurihara, Tokyo Gakugei University Annie Larivée, Carleton University Aikaterini Lefka, Université de Liège Francisco L. Lisi, Instituto Lucio Anneo Séneca / Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Arnaud Macé, Université de Franche-Comté Graciela E. Marcos de Pinotti, Universidad de Buenos Aires – CONICET Silvio Marino, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Giusy Maria Margagliotta, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Irmgard Männlein-Robert, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen vi List of contributors Mariella Menchelli, Università di Pisa Maurizio Migliori, Università di Macerata Gerard Naddaf, York University Hugues-Olivier Ney, Aix-Marseille Université Noburu Notomi, Keio University, Tokyo Lidia Palumbo, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Richard D. Parry, Agnes Scott College Richard Patterson, Emory University Federico M. Petrucci, Scuola Normale Superiore / Università di Pisa Mario Regali, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro" Olivier Renaut, Université Paris Ouest – Nanterre La Défense Nicholas P. Riegel, University of Toronto Cristina Rossitto, Università di Padova Christopher Rowe, Durham University David T. Runia, Queen's College, The University of Melbourne † Samuel Scolnicov, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Richard Stalley, University of Glasgow Alessandro Stavru, Freie Universität Berlin Thomas Alexander Szlezák, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen Ikko Tanaka, Kyoto University Harold Tarrant, University of Newcastle, Australia Alonso Tordesillas, Aix-Marseille Université Álvaro Vallejo Campos, Universidad de Granada Mario Vegetti, Università degli Studi di Pavia Matthew D. Walker, Yale-NUS College Roslyn Weiss, Lehigh University Table of Contents List of contributors ........................................................................................... v Table of contents ........................................................................................... vii Preface (Mauro Tulli) ........................................................................................... xi I C.J. De Vogel Lecture Stephen Halliwell Eros and Life-Values in Plato's Symposium ..................... 3 II Reading the Symposium Francisco Bravo ¿Propone el Banquete una ciencia del amor? .................... 16 Luc Brisson Éros éducateur: entre paiderastia et philosophia .............. 24 Gabriel Danzig "Testing the Truth and Ourselves" (Prot. 348a). Boasting and Philosophizing in Plato's Symposium ......... 36 Arianna Fermani Perché tanta "morte" in un dialogo sull'amore e sulla vita? Riflessioni sulla dialettica amore-morte-immortalità nel Simposio di Platone ..................................................... 44 Christian Keime Lector in dialogo: Implied Readers and Interpretive Strategies in Plato's Symposium ....................................... 52 Mariella Menchelli Isocrate, la condotta di vita e il discorso di Diotima nel Simposio di Platone .......................................................... 59 Maurizio Migliori L'importanza della dimensione esperienziale ed empirica nel Simposio ...................................................................... 65 Hugues-Olivier Ney L'amour, drame de Socrate ............................................... 71 Nicholas P. Riegel Tragedy and Comedy at Agathon's Party: Two Tetralogies in Plato's Symposium ............................. 77 Harold Tarrant Stylistic Difference in the Speeches of the Symposium .... 84 III The Frame Dialogue Dino De Sanctis Agathon agathos: l'eco dell'epos nell'incipit del Simposio ........................... 92 Giovanni R.F. Ferrari No Invitation Required? A Theme in Plato's Symposium 98 Lidia Palumbo Narrazioni e narratori nel Simposio di Platone ................. 104 Matthew D. Walker The Functions of Apollodorus .......................................... 110 IV Phaedrus Annie Hourcade Sciou Éros sans expédient: Platon, Banquet, 179b4-180b5 ........ 118 Noburu Notomi Phaedrus and the Sophistic Competition of Beautiful Speech in Plato's Symposium ........................................... 124 V Pausanias Olga Alieva Ἔρως προτρέπων: Philosophy and Seduction in the Symposium .................... 132 viii Table of Contents Olivier Renaut La pédérastie selon Pausanias: un défi pour l'éducation platonicienne .............................. 140 VI Eryximachus Ivana Costa Qué aporta Erixímaco a la filosofía del Simposio y a Platón ................................................................................ 148 Silvio Marino La medicina di Erissimaco: appunti per una cosmologia dialogica ........................................................................... 155 Richard D. Parry Eryximachus' Physical Theory in Plato's Symposium ...... 160 Richard Stalley Sophrosyne in the Symposium .......................................... 165 VII Aristophanes Michele Corradi Aristofane e l'ombra di Protagora: origini dell'umanità e orthoepeia nel mito degli uomini-palla ............................. 172 † Samuel Scolnicov What Socrates Learned from Aristophanes (and What He Left Behind) .............................................. 178 Roslyn Weiss Split Personalities in the Symposium and the Bible: Aristophanes' Speech and the Myth of Adam and Eve .... 183 VIII Agathon Aikaterini Lefka Eros Soter. How Can Love Save Us? ............................... 192 Irmgard Männlein-Robert Die Poetik des Philosophen: Sokrates und die Rede des Agathon ................................. 198 Mario Regali La mimesis di sé nel discorso di Agatone: l'agone fra poesia e filosofia nel Simposio ....................... 204 Richard Patterson Agathon's Gorgianic Logic .............................................. 209 IX Diotima Francesco Aronadio What's in the Name "Eros"? Onoma and Holon in Symposium 204e-206a .................... 218 Giovanni Casertano La difficile analogia tra poesia e amore ............................ 224 Mehmet M. Erginel Plato on the Pangs of Love ............................................... 231 Lloyd P. Gerson The Hermeneutics of Mystery in Plato's Symposium ....... 237 Chad Jorgenson Becoming Immortal in the Symposium and the Timaeus .. 243 Yahei Kanayama Recollecting, Retelling and Melete in Plato's Symposium: A New Reading of ἡ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς συνουσία τόκος ἐστίν (206c5-6) ....................................................... 249 Filip Karfík Eros und Unsterblichkeit: das Hervorbringen im Schönen ......................................... 257 Manfred Kraus Socrates' thea: The Description of Beauty in Symposium 211a and the Parmenidean Predicates of Being ..................................... 270 Yuji Kurihara Telos and Philosophical Knowledge in Plato's Symposium .................................................................................. 278 Francisco L. Lisi Symposion 210d4: τὸ πολὺ πέλαγος τοῦ καλοῦ ................ 255 Arnaud Macé L'océan du beau: la Forme et ses reflets hétérogènes (Banquet, 210a-211c) 291 Giusy Maria Margagliotta Eros e l'Anima nel Simposio ............................................ 297 Table of Contents ix Cristina Rossitto Plato's Symposium and the Notion of Intermediate .......... 303 Ikko Tanaka Divine Immortality and Mortal Immortality in Plato's Symposium ........................................................................ 309 Alonso Tordesillas Le beau, une nature merveilleuse, une vision soudaine (Banquet 210e2-211d1) .................................................... 315 Mario Vegetti Immortalità personale senza anima immortale: Diotima e Aristotele .......................................................... 321 X Alcibiades Gabriele Cornelli Alcibiades' Connection: Plato's Symposium Rewriting the Case on Socrates and Alcibiades ................................ 337 Edward C. Halper Alcibiades' Refutation of Socrates ................................... 342 Alessandro Stavru Socrate karterikos (Platone, Simposio 216c-221b) ........... 347 XI The Ethics of Eros Carolina Araújo Who Loves? The Question of Agency in Plato's Symposium ................ 356 Marcelo D. Boeri Ἔρως y συνουσία en el Simposio ..................................... 362 Christopher Gill Are the "Higher Mysteries" of Platonic Love Reserved for Ethical-Educational Pederasty? ................................... 371 Annie Larivée Le pouvoir protreptique de l'amour. Eros, soin de soi et identité personnelle dans le Banquet . 380 Federico M. Petrucci La dottrina della virtù di secondo grado nel Simposio ...... 386 Christopher Rowe On the Good, Beauty, and the Beast in Plato's Symposium .................................................................................. 391 David T. Runia Eudaimonist Closure in the Speeches of Plato's Symposium .................................................................................. 403 Álvaro Vallejo Campos Desire and Will in the Symposium .................................... 409 XII The Picture of Socrates Beatriz Bossi On Which Step of the Scala Amoris Is Socrates Standing in the Dramatic Action of the Symposium? Notes on the Practical Consequences of Theory ............... 420 Giuseppe Cambiano Chi è il Socrate del Simposio? .......................................... 428 Andrea Capra Transcoding the Silenus. Aristophanes, Plato and the Invention of Socratic Iconography ................................... 437 Rafael Ferber Plato as Teacher of Socrates? ........................................... 443 Graciela E. Marcos de Pinotti Sócrates aprendiz y maestro de Eros ................................ 449 Gerard Naddaf The Young "Historical" Socrates in the Apology and Symposium ......................................... 455 Thomas Alexander Szlezák Sokrates' Rollen im Symposion. Sein Wissen und sein Nichtwissen ................................... 461 XIII Reception Ruby Blondell and Sandra Boehringer Un Banquet revisité: l'érotisme paradoxal de Platon et de Lucien ..................... 470 x Table of Contents Piera De Piano Gli eroi e la natura demonica di Amore: Proclo interprete di Simposio 201e-204b .......................... 476 Margherita Erbì Lettori antichi di Platone: il caso del Simposio (POxy 843) ....................................... 483 Indices Index locorum ........................................................................................... 493 Index nominum ........................................................................................... 520 The Functions of Apollodorus Matthew D. Walker Yale-NUS College In the opening frame prologue of Plato's Symposium, the enigmatic Apollodorus recounts to an unnamed companion, and to us, Aristodemus's story of just what happened at Agathon's drinking party.1 Since Apollodorus did not attend the party, however, it is unclear what relevance he could have to our understanding of the drama and speeches about eros that follow. Apollodorus's strangeness is accentuated by his recession into the background after only two Stephanus pages. It might seem, then, that Plato could have presented the Symposium without Apollodorus. So, what difference – if any – does Apollodorus make to the Symposium? Does his inclusion call the dramatic and philosophical unity of the work into question? I argue that, despite initial appearances, Plato has important literary and philosophical reasons for including Apollodorus as a character. Far from being an odd appendage to an otherwise complete narrative, Apollodorus plays an integral role in the Symposium. Apollodorus, I contend, plays at least four important, interconnected functions in the work, functions that touch on the Symposium's main themes. I. Through his portrayal of Apollodorus, who reveals a passion for philosophical logoi, Plato intimates (a) that eros, in some way yet to be specified, will somehow be philosophical, or best understood by reference to philosophizing (φιλοσοφεῖν: 173a3); and that (b) the satisfaction of eros in philosophy will somehow be important for securing happiness. These claims are central in Socrates' own speech concerning eros. Through his portrayal of Apollodorus, then, Plato primes us to consider these claims as we go on to read the various speeches concerning eros that follow. This is the first function that Apollodorus plays in the Symposium. The thought that eros is somehow philosophical is developed throughout the speech of Socrates, which presents the views of Diotima, a Mantinean priestess, and which I take, generally, to present both Socrates' and Plato's own views. (i) According to Socrates' recounting of Diotima's teaching about love (a teaching that personifies eros in quasi-mythic terms), Eros is in between resource and lack (203b-d), wisdom and ignorance (203e-204a). Lacking wisdom, but neither ignorant nor foolish, Eros is a lover of wisdom – a philosopher (203d6, 204a). (ii) Socrates portrays philosophy as the highest form of eros, and one whose satisfaction best secures happiness. In his speech, Socrates famously outlines a philosophical ascent, in which the erotic philosopher "moves up" (ἐπανιών: 211b6; cf. ἐπανιέναι: 211c2) from beautiful particular bodies and souls toward Beauty itself (211e). In completing this ascent, -------------------------------------------1 The Symposium translations are generally adapted (with emendations) from A. Nehamas and P. Woodruff's translation, in Cooper (1997). The Functions of Apollodorus 111 and in "contemplating and being with" Beauty itself, the philosopher gives birth to true virtue and thereby secures a stable, godlike happiness (212a). The thought that eros is philosophical, and even constitutes a kind of eros, is striking. Yet such a view might seem far-fetched. The same goes for the thought that one secures happiness in, or through, philosophical activity. Accordingly, Plato has good reason to introduce his readers to these thoughts through his depiction of Apollodorus in the Symposium's prologue. First, Plato portrays Apollodorus as erotically inspired, and as passionately concerned with philosophical logoi. Apollodorus shows a kind of mania (173e1-2) that reveals him as erotically inspired.2 Further, this mania is manifest in his passion for making and listening to "speeches about philosophy" (173c3).3 At the same time, Apollodorus also possesses an acute awareness of the inadequacy of the life that he used to lead (173c).4 To this extent, Apollodorus reminds one of a Socratic philosopher who has come to attain a certain degree of selfknowledge, i.e. a certain awareness of his ignorance. Finally, just as the erotically inspired lover in Socrates' speech "moves up" a ladder toward the contemplation of Beauty, Apollodorus describes himself as on his "way up (ἀνιών) to town" from his home Phalerum (172a23), i.e. to the city, where Socrates elsewhere plausibly suggests that philosophical conversation might best flourish.5 Second, Plato portrays Apollodorus as believing himself to be making progress toward happiness by devoting himself to philosophical logoi. Now that he has found philosophy, Apollodorus says, joy has entered his life: "how extraordinarily I enjoy speeches about philosophy, even if I'm only a listener" (173c). Speaking to Glaucon, Apollodorus disdains his life before encountering Socrates (173a): Before then I ran around aimlessly. Of course, I used to think that what I was doing was important, but in fact I was the most worthless man on earth – as bad as you are this very moment: I used to think philosophy was the last thing a man should do. Apollodorus, however, suggests that things now are different. Apollodorus now views philosophy as a paramount end worthy of regulating the shape of one's life. He sees no special happiness in a life organized around wealth and profit (173c-d). II. Yet, ultimately, Apollodorus turns out to be neither a philosopher strictly speaking, nor really on the path to happiness. Apollodorus, then, serves a corresponding second function in the Symposium. Plato's characterization of Apollodorus compels Plato's readers to question what it is be a philosopher, and to consider how (and why) Apollodorus falls short.6 To support this reading, I consider Apollodorus's innocuous opening line: δοκῶ μοι περὶ ὧν πυνθάνεσθε οὐκ ἀμελέτητος εἶναι (172a1). A literal, if clunky, translation of this line might go something like, "I seem to myself, concerning the things about which you inquire, to be not unrehearsed." Indeed, only two days ago, Apollodorus says, he recounted to Glaucon the story about Agathon's party that he had heard from Aristodemus. Thus, Apollodorus reiterates to his anonymous companion in the present, he is "not unrehearsed" (οὐκ ἀμελετήτως ἔχω: 173c1). -------------------------------------------2 Cf. Neumann (1965), 285. 3 At Symposium 218b3-4, Alcibiades identifies philosophy as a kind of mania and Bacchic frenzy. 4 Cf. Moore (1969), 229; Sheffield (2006), 10. 5 See Phaedr. 230d. On Apollodorus's and the philosopher's respective ascents, see Osborne (1996), 8890; Corrigan & Glazov-Corrigan (2006), 10. 6 Cf. Rosen (1987), 14; Halperin (1992), 113-114. 112 Matthew D. Walker Three points about Apollodorus's opening remarks invite comment. (i) With δοκῶ, Plato introduces Apollodorus as one who seems, and perhaps one against whom we need to be on guard. (ii) The reflexive μοι suggests that Apollodorus seems a certain way to himself, and it allows that he may well be deluded. (iii) Apollodorus seems to himself to be οὐκ ἀμελέτητος, not unrehearsed. One of the primary senses of melete, evident here, is "rehearsal" or "practice", i.e. focused repetition and drill. But another primary sense of melete in Plato is "care". Thus, as Socrates suggests elsewhere, to be a philosopher is to have melete for the right sorts of objects. For instance, in the Apology (24d-26b), Socrates puns on the name of one of his later accusers, Meletus. Despite his accuser's claims to be concerned about the virtue and education of young Athenians, Socrates claims that "to Meletus, these things neither much nor little ever were cares (ἐμέλησεν)" (26b; my translation). The philosopher, by contrast, shows a proper care for the soul and its best condition (29d-30b). Similarly, in the Alcibiades, Socrates chastises the young Alcibiades for failing to care for himself and his virtue. Throughout that dialogue, Socrates impresses on young Alcibiades the need to show such care (epimeleia: e.g. Alc. I 119a9, 120c8-d4, 123d4-e1, 124b2-3, 127d-e, 132b6-c2). With Apollodorus's multiple references to the ambiguous term melete in the opening lines of the Symposium, Plato compels his readers to reflect on the meaning(s) of melete and on the sort of melete that Apollodorus displays. On the one hand, in Apollodorus's opening exchange, Plato highlights the sense of melete as rehearsal and drilled practice. On the other hand, since Apollodorus presents himself as passionate for philosophy, Plato invites us to recall the other sense of melete that Socrates thinks is proper to the philosopher, i.e. care for the soul and its good condition.7 With these ambiguities in mind, consider what sort of melete Apollodorus displays when Apollodorus expresses his passionate concern to make and listen to "speeches about philosophy" (περὶ φιλοσοφίας λόγους: 173c3). Consider, first, the content of Apollodorus's concern. As Plato's portrayal of Apollodorus indicates, philosophizing for Apollodorus consists, above all, in making and listening to speeches about Socrates. Thus, Apollodorus reveals to Glaucon that he has been consorting with Socrates for three years, and has made it his "care (ἐπιμελές) to know exactly what he says and does each day" (172c). Although Apollodorus presents himself on the "way up" to the city, he, and his erotic drives, are ultimately focused on the Socrates who inhabits the city's streets.8 Apollodorus seems less – if at all – concerned for the objects at which the philosopher's eros, according to Socrates, properly aims. Apollodorus, that is, seems not to be especially concerned with contemplating Beauty itself, or even, more modestly, in pursuing lower kinds of beautiful knowledge. Apollodorus appears similarly fixated on Socrates as such elsewhere in Plato, e.g. in the Apology and Phaedo.9 Consider, second, the manner in which Apollodorus concerns himself with the content of his care. Apollodorus, in Plato's portrayal, appears content simply to rehearse and drill stories about the speeches and deeds of Socrates. On this basis, commentators have compared Apollodorus to a Homeric rhapsode10 or to someone repeating a mantra.11 Apollodorus does -------------------------------------------7 As Halperin (1992), 103, notes, Apollodorus's references to melete also prefigure Socrates' discussion of melete qua rehearsal as preservative, and how melete preserves knowledge (e.g., at 207e-208b). 8 Cf. Halperin (1992); Sheffield (2006), 11-12. Rowe (1998), 129, by contrast, argues that Apollodorus is only a "friend" or "companion" (hetairos: 172b7) of Socrates. In reply, notice that Glaucon calls Socrates the friend of Apollodorus. That is still consistent with Apollodorus's being a lover of Socrates. 9 Apollodorus offers to pay Socrates' bail (Apol. 38b); he wails at Socrates' death (Phaed. 117d-e). Neumann (1965), 285, reasonably argues that grief is a natural response to the loss of a great value in one's life. But Apollodorus's response is excessive by the standard set by Socrates' other companions. 10 Corrigan & Glazov-Corrigan (2006), 12, 15. 11 Benardete (2001), 180. The Functions of Apollodorus 113 not engage argumentatively or dialectically with Socrates' speeches.12 To be sure, that Apollodorus memorizes philosophical logoi does not by itself show that Apollodorus fails to be a philosopher. For Socrates himself is content in other dialogues to rehearse philosophical logoi (e.g. at Timaeus 17b-19b, which rehearses points from the Republic).13 Unlike Socrates, however, Apollodorus shows no signs of doing anything other than rehearsing philosophical logoi. In light of Plato's other ways of characterizing Apollodorus, this point counts against Apollodorus's philosopher status. Accordingly, when Apollodorus's anonymous companion says, "I don't know exactly how you came to be called 'the soft' (τὸ μαλακὸς καλεῖσθαι)", it is plausible to construe Apollodorus's softness as consisting, in part, of a lack of nerve to question, to challenge, and to press on for the sake of a fuller understanding.14 For these reasons, Apollodorus seems not to be a philosopher strictly speaking. Similarly, although Apollodorus believes himself to be making progress toward happiness insofar as he devotes himself to philosophical logoi, Plato gives us reasons to doubt Apollodorus's assessment of his own situation. Despite Apollodorus's claims that philosophy has brought him joy (173c4-5), his snarling attitude toward the unenlightened (e.g. at 173a) makes us wonder. If Apollodorus were truly progressing toward happiness, we might think, he would be a witty, gentle sort. Yet, as Apollodorus's anonymous companion remarks to Apollodorus, Apollodorus seems unhappy (κακοδαίμονα: 173d1): "for you are always like this in your speeches, always furious with everyone, including yourself, but not with Socrates!" (173d).15 Apollodorus's response to his anonymous companion – "Of course, my dear friend, it's perfectly obvious why I have these views about us all: it's simply because I'm a maniac, and I'm raving!" (173e) – itself seems tinged with unhappy condescension and obsessiveness. Even if extraordinary enjoyment comes to Apollodorus from recounting the speeches and deeds of Socrates, he seems not to have made much progress. Indeed, he seems to be back where he started. Despite his philosophical conversion, that is, Apollodorus still seems to be "running around", except that he now goes about chastising non-philosophers while recording the speeches and deeds of Socrates. That is not to say that Apollodorus's encounter with Socrates has been harmful for him. On the contrary, Socrates now provides a principle of order in Apollodorus's life, one that lends Apollodorus's life a shape and unity that it apparently lacked before. Further, as Socrates does with the young Alcibiades in the dialogue of the same name, Socrates has evidently brought at least some of Apollodorus's self-ignorance to light, and he has compelled Apollodorus to detach himself from his previous way of life, which Apollodorus has come to accept as an unhappy one. Yet, contra Osborne, for instance, I am doubtful that Apollodorus's "journey from his home to the city matches his departure from his old, non-philosophical lifestyle to the new Socratic life."16 I am similarly skeptical that we should see Apollodorus as having made an "ascent from ordinary life to Socratic philosophy."17 For given Plato's depiction of Apollodorus, it is doubtful that Apollodorus's separation from his older way of life -------------------------------------------12 Cf. Scott & Welton (2008), 29; Halperin (1992), 114; Hunter (2004), 27-28. Even Neumann (1965), 282, who insists that Apollodorus is a philosopher, admits that Apollodorus engages in no actual philosophical dialogue. 13 See Sheffield (2006), 14 n. 8. 14 Neumann (1965), 289, holds that Apollodorus's softness consists in his receptivity to a passion for philosophy. Yet as Corrigan & Glazov-Corrigan (2006), 16 n. 23, observe, Phaedo 85b-c suggests that the soft man (malthakos) does not investigate and question. 15 Bury (1909), 6, argues for the alternate reading of the nickname, manikos. Rowe (1998), 130, however, plausibly defends malakos as making the most sense of the incongruity of Apollodorus's being savage toward others. 16 Osborne (1996), 88. 17 Osborne (1996), 90. 114 Matthew D. Walker counts as a real step forward toward either Socratic philosophy or a happy life, any more than, say, Alcibiades' recognition of his self-ignorance (e.g. at Alcibiades I 127d and Symposium 215d-216c) marks similar progress for Alcibiades. Such separation and self-awareness serves, at best, as a precondition for such progress.18 III. So, how, and why, then, does Apollodorus go wrong? An answer to this question brings to light Apollodorus's third function in the Symposium. Through his portrayal of Apollodorus, Plato dramatizes how, in general, the nature of eros is prone to be misunderstood and, correspondingly, how eros is apt to be misdirected. In virtue of his misdirected eros, Apollodorus displays the basic – and commonly shared – misunderstanding of eros's nature that Socrates seeks to overcome in his speech, and that the Symposium as a whole aims to correct. In particular, the attendees of Agathon's party consistently identify Eros as a god.19 In doing so, however, the various speeches, and common opinion, make the following mistake: they treat a daimon as though he were fully divine, i.e. complete and beautiful. That is, they misconstrue Eros not as a needy and desirous lover (τὸ ἐρῶν: 204c3), but, rather, as a fitting object of love (τὸ ἐρώμενον: 204c2). Eros, however, is not complete in this way. On the contrary, as already noted, Eros is an intermediate figure, neither wholly without resource, nor wholly without lack. And just as one (theoretically) misconstrues Eros's nature when one identifies Eros as a divine, complete, and beautiful object of desire, so too one (practically) misdirects one's eros when one pursues eros as such an object. That is, one's eros is misdirected to the extent that one is "in love with love", as opposed to the complete and beautiful objects and ends that would fulfill eros. Such misdirection of eros has implications for one's happiness, insofar as it directs eros away from those ends and goods that would provide it satisfaction. As we have also seen, Eros – neither fully wise nor wholly ignorant – is desirous of wisdom, and so, a philosopher. The philosopher qua philosopher, in other words, embodies and personifies Eros. Thus, as scores of commentators have noted, Socrates' description of a tough, barefoot, scheming, brave Eros (e.g., at 203c-d) is something of a self-portrait. Insofar as the philosopher personifies eros, then, the philosopher himself would fail to be a fitting object of eros, at least not without qualification. For eros misdirected toward a philosopher would misconstrue a needy lover as a complete and beautiful object of love. Such eros would accordingly fail to be aimed toward its proper objects, viz. wisdom, contemplation of the Beautiful, and the immortal possession of the good. To that extent, an eros misdirected toward eros, or toward the philosopher as personification of eros, would fail to secure immortal happiness.20 Now, consider Apollodorus's stance toward Socrates. As Plato portrays him, Apollodorus idolizes Socrates. Apollodorus views Socrates as complete and godlike, and shows an intense erotic attraction toward him. Yet to the extent that the philosopher personifies eros, Apollodorus's stance toward Socrates reflects a more general error, misconceiving the daimonic as divine. This is an error that Plato aims to explore and correct in the Symposium. -------------------------------------------18 On such knowledge of ignorance, see Sheffield (2006), 61. 19 Phaedrus: 177c; 178a-b; Pausanias: 180d-e; Eryximachus: 186e; Aristophanes: 189c-d; Agathon: 197c-e. Conversing with Diotima, young Socrates says that Eros "is agreed by all to be a great god" (202b6-7). 20 Sayre (1996), 126-127, identifies this problem as it arises for Alcibiades. Cf. Sheffield (2006), 204, who observes in passing that Apollodorus makes a similar mistake. Bury (1909), XVI, identifies Apollodorus as "a worshipper of Socrates". Cf. Rosen (1987), 10; Nussbaum (1986), 168; and Halperin (1992), 114. The Functions of Apollodorus 115 Through his portrayal of the fevered but ultimately unhappy Apollodorus, then, Plato introduces and dramatizes this misconception of eros, and he suggests this misconception's implications for happiness. IV. On these grounds, I propose, Apollodorus plays a fourth function in the Symposium, an overarching "psychagogic" function intended to regulate how Plato's readers orient themselves toward the Symposium and the Socrates who appears in its pages. Through his depiction of Apollodorus, Plato attempts to inoculate the aspiring philosophical reader of the Symposium against some of the tendencies that Apollodorus displays. To understand why Plato should feel compelled to use a character in this way, consider why, on Plato's view, we are prone to misconceive the nature of Eros as divine and loveable. The answer, I propose, lies in Eros's resourcefulness in guiding one toward the good: for Eros, after all, is not wholly lacking, but has certain valuable features. Similarly, in virtue of the philosopher's own forms of resourcefulness, one can understand how one might come to misconstrue – and to pursue – the philosopher himself as a complete object of erotic striving. Indeed, given Plato's depiction of Socrates in the Symposium, one can understand Apollodorus's unhealthy attraction to Socrates in particular. For in the Symposium, Plato portrays Socrates as relatively beautiful and resourceful, showing more of his paternal inheritance than his maternal. Thus, Socrates shows up to Agathon's party in an unusual guise, bathed and wearing slippers (174a; cf. 220b). He claims, astonishingly, to understand nothing other than erotic matters (177d8). And so, rather than ending on a note of aporia, Socrates reveals himself to be a skilled figure capable of trapping the beautiful and good, at least to some extent. His inventive account of eros builds, and improves, upon the prior speeches, and presents an overview, however dim and incomplete, of the truth about eros. But to construe a figure like Socrates as godlike and complete, and to pursue him accordingly as an ultimate aim of erotic striving, is to overlook his needy and incomplete side, apparent in Plato's portrayal of Socrates in other dialogues. In such works, Socrates spends his days barefoot in the streets, seeking, but characteristically failing to attain, the wisdom that he is all too aware of lacking. Given the Symposium's dramatic portrayal of Socrates in a more beautiful, more resourceful, less aporetic mode than elsewhere, I suggest, Plato's readers are at special risk of lowering their aims as aspiring philosophers. Instead of working through the Symposium and questioning Socrates' views on eros – i.e. instead of approaching the Symposium in a mood of engaged melete – Plato's audiences are at risk of being lulled into merely "rehearsing" the work by reading it passively. They are at risk of accepting Socrates as a kind of "guru" figure, rather than as a spur to further thinking and progress of their own. Through his unattractive characterization of Apollodorus, a figure who does accept Socrates in just this way, Plato reminds his readers of this danger. Plato thereby aims to promote, or at least not to forestall, his audience's own philosophical progress.21 * Benardete, S., Plato's Symposium, Chicago 2001 = Benardete (2001). Bury, R. G., The Symposium of Plato, Cambridge 1909 = Bury (1909). Cooper, J. M., Plato: Complete Works. Indianapolis 1997 = Cooper (1997). Corrigan, K. & E. Glazov-Corrigan. Plato's Dialectic at Play: Argument, Structure, and Myth in the Symposium, University Park 2006 = Corrigan & Glazov-Corrigan (2006). -------------------------------------------21 I thank Frisbee Sheffield, and audiences at Villanova University and at the X Symposium Platonicum. 116 Matthew D. Walker Denyer, N., Plato. Alcibiades, Cambridge 2001 = Denyer (2001). Halperin, D. M., "Plato and the Erotics of Narrativity", in J.C. Klagge & N.D. Smith (eds.), Methods of Interpreting Plato and His Dialogues (Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy supplement) (1992), 93-129 = Halperin (1992). Hunter, R., Plato's Symposium, Oxford 2004 = Hunter (2004). Moore, J. D., "The Philosopher's Frenzy" Mnemosyne 22 (1969), 225-230 = Moore (1969). Neumann, H., "On the Madness of Plato's Apollodorus", Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 96 (1965), 283-289 = Neumann (1965). Nussbaum, M. C., The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy, Cambridge 1986 = Nussbaum (1986). Osborne, C., Eros Unveiled: Plato and the God of Love, Oxford 1996 = Osborne (1996). Rowe, C. J., Plato. Symposium, Warminster 1998 = Rowe (1998). Sayre, K., Plato's Literary Garden: How to Read a Platonic Dialogue, South Bend 1996 = Sayre (1996). Scott, G.A. & Welton, W. A., Erotic Wisdom: Philosophy and Intermediacy in Plato's Symposium, Albany 2008 = Scott & Welton (2008). Sheffield, F. C. C., Plato's Symposium: The Ethics of Desire, Oxford 2006 = Sheffield (2006).