LOVEWISE FOR PHILOSOPHY LOVERS Plato’s Phaedrus and the Allegory of the Chariot VOLUME I ISSUE I LOVEWISE MAGAZINE Bre Franco Electronic Media Technology Department University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash College 9955 Plainfield Road, Blue Ash, OH March 2021 © 2020-2021 by Bre Franco. Some rights reserved. CC BY-NC-SA Volume 1, Issue 1. www.brefranco.com. PREFACE Cincinnati, OH, US. Printed by “Blurb, Inc”, 600 California Street, 11th Floor San Francisco, CA 94108 The philosophy of Plato still influences civilization to this day. It’s especially Perfect Bound, Dimensions: 8.5”x11”, important, now that postmodernity is reshaping civilization in unprecedented Page Count: 60, ways, that we learn to think critically about what must be preserved of culture 216 GSM #80 Semi-gloss (Cover), and humanity. Exploration of the meaning of love, is one of these essential characteristics that we must sustain. This issue presents a collection of essays 115GSM #80 Matte (Text), reflecting upon and interpreting the “allegory of the chariot” from Phaedrus Number of Copies: 4 by Plato written around 370 BC. iv CONTENTS 1 DIVINE MADNESS 6 NATURE OF THE SOUL 12 THE SOUL’S JOURNEY 17 PLATONISM AND POSTMODERNISM 22 BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER 33 THE CHARIOT EXPLAINED 42 CONCLUSION: THE POSTMODERN PSYCHE v vi DIVINE MADNESS A Definition of Love While reading Phaedrus, I was surprised to discover that my Dedication preconceived notions about its content were, though not entirely wrong, accessory rather than This project is dedicated to my Ba, who was the fundamental to the main message. wisest soul I had the privilege of knowing and an I expected to hear about the battle between passion and reason and how expert at loving others with her whole heart. it perpetuates struggle and suffering. Instead I found myself agreeing with praises of love and claims that it is a heavenly gift designed to elevate our souls.Though I once called myself agnostic, I am not entirely faithless. Still, it is impressive how successful this dialogue was at convincing me to grasp at some highly spiritual and metaphysical ideas. Here is a summary of the text’s first section about “divine madness”! Does moss only grow facing north? Or is that a myth? The Recantation In response to Phaedrus’ narration of a work by esteemed writer, Lysias, Socrates at first agrees with claims that one should prefer a nonlover to a lover. This seems reasonable if one believes that lovers are disorderly and hence undesirable because they are governed by the madness of passion. Their attachments are superficial and circumstantial, but one who is a nonlover is much more stable, reliable, and far easier to comprehend in their motives. However, after his speech proclaiming this, Socrates feels that he has not spoken the truth and that he must therefore recant to Eros, the god of love and sex. Bacchant and Bacchante with a Cupid vii 1 He understands that, before he can cast The second kind needs a bit of in our everyday lives. If superstition judgment upon lovers and nonlovers, explanation! Socrates then calls use is defined more specifically as he must attempt to define what love of “purifications and mysteries” a exhibiting fear of the gods, then I’d is. Next, he asserts that, to define love, madness that can afflict man. After say many of us fear that our bad one must understand the nature of the researching what this could mean, behavior may result in punishment human soul that senses it. I’d describe this more simply as from a divine authority. To summarize, I interpret that love, superstition. From what I understand, as Plato describes it in this text, is “mysteries” refers to religious rites. The third type of divine madness a complex process rather than a What are rites? Rites are a symbolic Socrates lists is “possession by the feeling or affect. It is because of this behavior intended for God’s viewing muses”. In ancient Greece, the complexity that one benefits from with the intention of cleansing muses were nine “goddesses and envisioning the allegory of the chariot an individual’s soul. Essentially embodiments of science, literature, and Socrates delivers. But before we dive purification by mysteries is believing the arts” (Oldwolf). Considering this, into Plato’s description of the nature of that one can perform symbolic Plato is saying that inspiration to create the soul through means of this allegory, actions to earn the favor of the gods art is a kind of madness that cannot let’s take a step back to analyze the and to direct one’s soul nearer to a be derived from the senses alone. “divine madness” of which he speaks. virtuous fate. I call this superstition, We may assume that art is a divine which is not at all unacceptable. It gift in Socrates’ opinion because he seems silly that if you spill salt from emphasizes that “with these [artistic a saltshaker, maybe you should toss a works] adorning the myriad actions of pinch of it over your shoulder, just in ancient heroes for the instruction of case, but there are many other subtler posterity”. Put more simply, art is how ways that we maintain superstitions we record the feats of human history. If you, reading this, are an artist, surely, Kinds of Madness Socrates recantation addresses the discovery of an seem reasonable that humans may at times possess some alternative assumption, that “there is also a madness which kind of “extra-sensory perception”. But secondly, Socrates is a divine gift, and the source of the chiefest blessings categorizes prophecy as madness because of a linguistic granted to men,” (69). The first piece of evidence put forth similarity. It seems very likely that the “ancient inventors to support this is a connection between madness and of names” would not have Mantike (prophecy) and manike prophecy. As an example, he says that much good has (madness) be called such similar names “if they had come to Hellas (Greece) from the prophecies from the deemed madness to be a disgrace or dishonour,”(70). In oracle at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona who achieve this time in Greek civilization, prophecy was considered this knowledge when they are “out of their senses”. I love “the noblest of arts”, so this similarity is relevant when you this distinction, because I do believe there is a quality of consider the cultural reverence ancient Hellenes had for knowing one can experience that is derived apart from those with the ability to prophesize. Prophecy is the first, of our five senses. Nowadays, though many are skeptical of the four kinds of madness that Socrates lists. those claiming to be prophets, psychics, and the like, it does Cigarette butts and septic mounds are an unattractive yet compelling record of human history... 2 3 you’ve experienced moments in mechanics of this, the allegory of the which you might question your sanity. chariot emerges from this dialogue! Somehow, it seems less shameful to Later in this issue, we will consider be doubtful of your own artistic work what can be applied to postmodern when you consider that inspiration life from all this talk about “divine by one’s muses is a kind of beautiful madness”? When examining the madness that needs no defending. I’d characteristics of postmodernism, even argue that our own creations are it becomes clear that some of the meant to challenge us. principles that Plato taught are still at play in shaping cultural movements. Lastly, we have arrived at the most The next chapter will briefly discuss precious type of divine madness: love! how we’ve come to accept and glorify Socrates argues that the “madness “madness” more readily than ever of love is the greatest of heaven’s before in history. blessings” because it is essentially instrumental in directing one’s soul on its journey. To explain the A discarded air freshener. Does it no longer please the senses? 4 5 NATURE OF THE SOUL Socrates continues to focus on explaining the nature of the soul. Firstly, he One thing I love about this speech is Immortality asserts that the soul is immortal. It is described as a “first principle” from how abruptly Socrates concludes the which all creation begins, but the soul itself meets no instance of creation. discussion of a topic once it has been I find it interesting that, even over three centuries before the dawn of exhausted, and I chuckled at reading Christianity, Plato’s description of the soul corresponds with that of divinity the speaker proclaim, “enough of the by Judeo-Christian ideology. Furthermore, a criterion for immortality soul’s immortality”. With that, let’s outlined in Socrates oration is that it describes a thing that is “self-moving”. move on! This seems abstract at first, but I believe a simpler perspective would call this quality total sovereignty. A recognizable image is evoked as Socrates Next, Socrates wants to speak of what then compares the immortal soul as “the fountain and beginning of all forces work within the soul to orient motion to all that moves besides” (245d). it and direct the aforementioned motion. Now he introduces the Another phrase during this introduction that supports the notion of the famous allegory of the chariot! soul being a fundamental principle is “the soul in her totality has the care However, don’t get too excited. The of inanimate being everywhere”. This was a challenge to interpret but I introduction will be brief, but the presume that this means the soul manifests and is supported by the matter opportunity for deeper examination that surrounds it.