This is philosophy bites with me David Edmonds and me Nigel Warburton.

Philosophy bites is available at W.

The scene, a drinking party two and a half millennia ago.

The revelers, a philosopher, a war hero, a poet and writer, a physician, a specialist in law.

The subject of their discussion, Love. Here to discuss one of Plato's

most famous dialogues, this symposium, and in particular the nature of erotic love is Angie Hobbs of Warwick

University. Angie Hobbs of Warwick University.

Angie Hobbs, welcome to Frost v Bites.

Hello, lovely to be here.

Now the topic we're going to talk about today is Plato on Love.

We're talking about a specific kind of love, Eros.

What does Plato mean by that? We're talking about a specific kind of love, Eros.

What does Plato mean by that?

The term means erotic love, and I've heard it beautifully described as whatever makes you tingle.

Now, of course, erotic love, traditionally in Greek literature, it was physical love for somebody else's body

But what we're going to see Plato doing throughout his work particularly his great dialogue on love the

Symposium is expanding the field of erotic love away purely

from bodies. But basically it starts off meaning erotic desire for one other human being.

You've mentioned the symposium.

I wonder if you could say what that is.

It's a fabulous beautiful dialogue by Plato.

It was written in about 385 BC,

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