About this ebook
Plato’s Phaedrus, written in the late 4th century BC, is a dialogue centered on love and rhetoric. Phaedrus recounts his time with Lysias and introduces a speech claiming that the non-lover may be preferable to the lover. Socrates challenges this idea, leading to a discussion on the nature of love and the true value of rhetoric. The dialogue contrasts mere opinion with genuine knowledge, highlighting what constitutes authentic speech. Ultimately, it offers a profound reflection on human nature, communication, and the philosophy of love.
About the author
Plato was born around 428 BCE in Athens and became a disciple of Socrates, deepening philosophical thought with his central idea of Forms, which sought truth beyond the sensory world. He founded the Academy, the first higher learning institution in the West, where philosophy, mathematics, and politics were taught, laying the foundation of Western intellectual tradition. In works such as The Republic and The Symposium, he explored justice, the soul, love, and the ideal state, profoundly shaping political philosophy and ethics. His influence extended to later thinkers like Aristotle, forming the roots of Western philosophy. He died around 348 BCE, yet his ideas continue to live on across philosophy and the humanities.
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