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Plato, Symposium 207e · 207e

Not Only Body, but Soul

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Diotima — αἷμα καὶ σύμπαν τὸ σῶμα. καὶ μὴ ὅτι κατὰ τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν οἱ τρόποι, τὰ ἤθη, δόξαι, ἐπιθυμίαι, ἡδοναί, λῦπαι, φόβοι, τούτων ἕκαστα οὐδέποτε τὰ αὐτὰ πάρεστιν ἑκάστῳ, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν γίγνεται, τὰ δὲ ἀπόλλυται. πολὺ δὲ τούτων ἀτοπώτερον ἔτι, ὅτι καὶ αἱ ἐπιστῆμαι

blood and the whole body. And not only in respect of the body, but also in respect of the soul the ways, the characters, opinions, desires, pleasures, pains, fears, of these each is never the same present to each one, but some come to be, others perish. And far stranger than these still: that even the knowledges

Word by word

Diotima
αἷμαhaîmabloodκαὶkaìandσύμπανsýmpanthe wholeτὸtòtheσῶμαsômabody.καὶkaìandμὴmḕnot onlyὅτιhótithatκατὰkatàin respect ofτὸtòtheσῶμαsômabody,ἀλλὰallàbutκαὶkaìalsoκατὰkatàin respect ofτὴνtḕntheψυχὴνpsychḕnthe soulοἱhoitheτρόποιtrópoithe ways,τὰtàtheἤθηḗthēthe characters,δόξαιdóxaiopinions,ἐπιθυμίαιepithymíaidesires,ἡδοναίhēdonaípleasures,λῦπαιlŷpaipains,φόβοιphóboifears,τούτωνtoútōnof theseἕκασταhékastaeachοὐδέποτεoudépoteneverτὰtàtheαὐτὰautàthe sameπάρεστινpárestinis presentἑκάστῳhekástōito each one,ἀλλὰallàbutτὰtàtheμὲνmènon the one handγίγνεταιgígnetaisome come to be,τὰtàtheδὲdèbut / and / howeverἀπόλλυταιapóllytaiothers perish.πολὺpolýmuchδὲdèbut / and / howeverτούτωνtoútōnthan theseἀτοπώτερονatopṓteronstrangerἔτιétistill,ὅτιhótithatκαὶkaìevenαἱhaitheἐπιστῆμαιepistêmaithe knowledges

The setting

The flux is not the body's alone. In the soul too — one's ways, characters, opinions, desires, pleasures, pains, fears — none of these is ever the same present in a person; some come to be, others perish. And, stranger still, Diotima says, even the pieces of knowledge do the same. The thought carries into 208a.

A note on this passage

The catalogue is deliberately complete — it names the very furniture of the psyche that the other speeches took for the fixed ground of love. If even character and conviction are in flux, then the soul, no less than the body, 'is forever' only by renewal, not by permanence. And Diotima saves the boldest case for last, breaking off at 'even the pieces of knowledge': in 208a she will argue that epistēmē itself is not stably possessed, since we forget and must re-learn — which is why 'study' (meletē) exists at all. That knowledge is maintained by replacing lost memory with fresh is the sharpest proof that mortal being, through and through, survives by succession rather than by staying the same — the exact pattern that generation, and so love, extends beyond the single life.

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Plato, Symposium 207e — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/symposium/207e/