Sadler's Lectures
Sadler's Lectures
Lectures on classic and contemporary philosophical texts and thinkers by Gregory B. Sadler
Plato, The Lysis - Lovers and Poetry - Sadler's Lectures
14 minutes Posted Sep 20, 2026 at 2:26 pm.
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This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Lysis, focused on the nature of love and friendship
This lecture focuses specifically on some of the points made in the beginning of the dialogue, where Socrates tells Hippothales that he can tell that he is deeply in love with somebody. Ctesippus reveals this to be Lysis, and tells Socrates that not only does Hippothales constantly talk about Lysis, he is also composing poems and speeches to and about Lysis, which he then subjects his friends to. Socrates says that what he is really interested in with these speeches is their sense (dianoia), and he suggests to Hippothales that although his compositions don't refer to himself, he is really focusing on himself in them. If he succeeds in winning Lysis' affection, it looks like a triumph for him, but if he fails, he will appear ridiculous. There's also the danger of inflating Lysis' self-conception and making him more difficult to catch.
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