From the book
Symposium
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe practical question concerns what Love enables human beings to achieve.
- In the SymposiumAfter the genealogy, Socrates asks about Love’s use, and the ensuing account explains good, happiness, generation and ascent.
- Reading contextAfter the genealogy, Socrates asks about Love’s use, and the ensuing account explains good, happiness, generation and ascent.
- A place to readSocrates asks about the service of the described Love.
Meaning
The practical question concerns what Love enables human beings to achieve. Fellow-worker makes human nature and Love collaborators in that pursuit.
Use in the book
After the genealogy, Socrates asks about Love’s use, and the ensuing account explains good, happiness, generation and ascent. His conclusion answers that question by praising Love as a helper towards the possession described. The comparative is qualified: one would not easily find a better helper. It is not a literal assertion that Love alone accomplishes everything while the learner contributes no labour, practice or care.
Places to read
συνεργός (synergos)
synergos — Fellow-worker or helper in attaining something, not sole producer.
- 212b — συνεργὸν ἀμείνω. Socrates says one would not readily find a better helper than Love.
Read: Use and fellow-worker.
χρεία (chreia)
chreia — Use or service provided to human beings; the practical question after Love’s nature is described.
- 204c — τίνα χρείαν ἔχει. Socrates asks what use a Love of this sort has for humans.
Read: Use and fellow-worker.