From the book
Symposium
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe purpose for which something is done and the cause through which it happens must not be silently exchanged.
- In the SymposiumPausanias’ paired cases at 185a–b keep the outward gratification comparable while changing its end.
- In this editionThe edition’s “for the sake of” should retain its named object.
- A place to readDifferent purposes decide the evaluation of otherwise similar actions.
Meaning
The purpose for which something is done and the cause through which it happens must not be silently exchanged.
Use in the book
Pausanias’ paired cases at 185a–b keep the outward gratification comparable while changing its end. A failed attempt to gain money is still shameful; a failed attempt to obtain virtue can reveal a beautiful intention. Aristophanes’ “because of our injustice” explains why the cut occurred, rather than stating an end people seek. The small expressions carry distinctions that a thematic paraphrase about love and goodness can easily lose.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
The edition’s “for the sake of” should retain its named object. “Through”, “because of”, and “for the sake of” are not interchangeable stylistic alternatives; case and context decide the relation.
διά (dia)
dia — Through or because of with the genitive or accusative construction supplying the local relation; in the example here the accusative gives a cause.
- 193a — διὰ τὴν ἀδικίαν. Aristophanes explains the division as caused by human injustice.
ἕνεκα (heneka)
heneka — For the sake of, marking a purpose or motivating end; the value of the same outward act can turn on this complement.