In ancient Greece, Eros played a central role in public life. But we have since largely forsaken the loving and connective potential of Eros, particularly when it comes to philosophy, perhaps in part due to the individualism and staunch rationalism derived from the Enlightenment. Sam Woodward argues we need to reclaim the potential of Eros, so that we might learn from Plato’s erotic framework to foster relationships based upon a love for obtaining wisdom. By exploring countless avenues of knowledge and virtue, we create the potential to leave behind something greater than ourselves after we die. In the Symposium, Plato’s dialogue on Eros (Cupid for the Romans), Socrates and other guests attend a drinking-party and take turns giving speeches in praise of Eros and his power. Aristophanes, the famous comic playwright, tells a myth. “Long ago”, he says, “the natural human form was not as it is now, but different”. There were not two types of human, male o…
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