Plato and Love

How or why is “love” and/or “desire” a philosophical subject? In response to Plato’s Symposium Like many things in philosophy love can not be defined easily or concretely. In Plato’s Symposium several characters discuss what love is and no distinct answer is derived. When I first discussed this subject I said that love and desire are most certainly subjects for philosophical discussion. After reading Plato’s Symposium I firmly stand by my beliefs. However, before one declares whether or not a topic such as love or desire is worthy of philosophical dialogue one must figure out approximately what philosophy is, what a philosophical subject is, what love

Philosophy is generally defined as a study of thought or wisdom. There are thousands of theories and oppinions on this subject matter making it a perfect philosophical subject. " (178D) Love makes us whole and tears us apart, it guides us and yet it gets us lost. Love and desire are both emotions of extreme passion and extreme complexity. The argument Eryximachus makes is that love falls into both the physical and mental categories. "But if I have learned a single lesson from my own filed, the science of medicine, it is that Love does not occur only in the human soul; it is not simply the attraction we feel toward human beauty: it is a significantly broader phenomenon"In fact, it occurs everywhere in the universe. The study of thought is all inclusive so love and desire fall within the study"tms limits. Personally, at this point in time, I have very little faith in love as anything other then a chemical, hormonal if you will, and physical attraction. Love is a pronoun to them as well as a God they value and worship. This simultaneousness is a commonality in subjects of philosophy. The subjects of philosophy can range from those of materialism to those of the mind and sensationalistic needs of the race of humans. Love and desire, while being emotions, are triggered by thoughts. Love is a deity of the greatest importance: he directs everything that occurs, not only in the human domain, but also in that of the gods.