Greek Philosophy over a Good Wine

This production does a great job on throwing some life into Greek Philosophy. You'll be able put personalities with recognizable greek names, and the discussion is definately easier to follow with the full cast. But this is still pretty heavy stuff. If you're hoping for Greek Philosophy ala "Xena: Warrior Princess ", you're in the wrong selection.

You'll be listening in as these highbrow Athenias philosphers open a few bottles of wine and debate the pros and cons of Eros, the god of Love. (Remember that these intellectuals considered heterosexual love a cheap imitation of the more noble homosexual love - this is one of the few points they seem to agree on). The program revolves around philosophy, there's not any plot or action. But the dramatization helps you understand which opinions are coming from doctors, warriors, actors, etc. - thus making each perspective easier to follow. The fact that this debate took place because everyone had hangovers leaves you gaping at what regular debates had to be like back then!

11 persone l'hanno trovata utile

You'll Wish You Were There

A delightful reading of what is probably Plato's most popular dialogue. Worth it just to hear Aristophanes' famous, witty description of spheroid, hermaphroditic humans before Zeus split us into two genders. Note that if you are a raging homophobe, you had better pass on this classic (and on much of Western Civilization).

4 persone l'hanno trovata utile

I can't believe I'm giving PLATO three stars!!

I love ancient history, and I really enjoy ancient philosophy. (IMHO philosophy changed, and much for the worse, because of the French Revolution. Hobbes, Locke, Aquinas, Adam Smith and Aristotle are my homies.)

Anyway I started on this because of the recommendation of a friend, and hey... it's Plato. The guy's had a pretty good rep for longer than Alexander the Great... or Jesus. You got to give the man some respect.

Anyhow, I am about 2/3 through it, it has been tough going, and I may not finish it. Everyone is making speeches about love... and it is largely old men talking about how wonderful it is to sexually abuse young boys.

Yeah, I know it was ancient Athens and this kind of crap happened.... but it literally turns my stomach.

I'm told that I'm not yet to "the good part" where Alcibiades and Socrates speak... so perhaps I am being unfair. If I go back and finish it I will revise this review... and I'm giving it 3 stars based on the fact it supposedly gets better. If it ended where I left off it would get 1.

The performance is magnificent. The voice actors do a great job, really wonderful. I just can't enjoy long dialogues in support of pedophilia.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

A perfect introduction to Plato

This audio book was perfect. When it is Socrates' turn to speak, he makes reference to a conversation he had with a woman. The audio production actually brings in a female narrator (who is just as effective as the main narrator) to take over this section. So you really get a "feel" for the ideas being conveyed as the Greeks at the time would have been considering them. Ad a side note, it is amazing how open this culture was to homosexuality. Judging from this classic of western philosophy it was the norm in 5th/6th century Athens.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Gross

I usually like Plato, but Symposium is all about grown men doing little boys. Sick.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Worth the 2.5 hours

Discovering the meaning of love? I call this a good investment. Diotima for the win.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Pathetic

What disappointed you about Symposium?

It is all about a bevy of drunken, slave holding, homosexual pedophile philosophers that are trying to best each other in praising a fictitious Greek god that they were stupid enough to believe was real.

What was most disappointing about Plato’s story?

It was all disappointing. If this is the best he has to offer, I would hate to see what else he wrote.

Which scene was your favorite?

None. They were all bad.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It is a total waste of time and money.

Any additional comments?

I needed this book for a philosophy class or I would not have bought or read it.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Well-paced, entertaining, and deeply moving!

I loved the performance of the actors. The story itself was perfect, I enjoyed the banter and prose – perhaps my favorite work of Plato now (having only read The Republic)! Anyways, this comes highly recommended.

Good First introduction to Plato

“Symposium”: Plato is another author on my “Bucket List” and I chose “Symposium” as my first Plato entry read. Not disappointing and I will be looking for the next Plato read. The thought-provoking discussion was a rational examination about “Love” from the great thinkers of the time: Socrates; Phaedrus, Pausanias, and Aristophanes. Experienced as an Audio book.

A Philosophical Drama

A marvelous way to experience this wonderfully idiosyncratic Socratic dialogue. Gives a real sense and flavor of Ancient Athens at time of Socrates and Aristophanes.