"The Lover vs. the Non-Lover"
In Plato's Phaedrus, a dialogue between the main protagonist Socrates and his dear friend Phaedrus, the idea of love and philosophy join together and in one are the aspects of the other. Phaedrus has been spending the morning with Lysias, and decides to refresh himself by taking a walk along the Athenian countryside, when he is met by Socrates, who professes he will not leave him until he delivers the speech that Lysias has left with him. Phaedrus does not deny Socrates, and the two decide to direct their way to a tree which they see across the distance. There, lying down amidst the pleasant countryside, they will read the speech of Lysias and Socrates will respond. In this paper, I will determine that in The Phaedrus, Socrates' second speech provides more substance and truth about love than Lysias' speech in the way that Socrates' explanation of love plays a major role in the soul's journey and development.
After Phaedrus and Socrates have settled under the nearby tree, Phaedrus begins to read Lysias' speech with much calmness in his voice. The speech begins by describing how a young man is tempted, not by the appeal of a lover but by one who professes not to be in love, otherwise known as the non-lover. Lysias continues to develop more on the thesis that puts forth the idea that it is in the self-interest of the beloved to grant favors only to a non-lover because of the characteristics that they possess. He claims the non-lover to be more understanding, more agreeable, more enduring, less suspicious, less hurtful, and less boastful. Lysias goes on to say that it is easy to look around and find a non-lover because there are much more of them. The acceptance of the non-lover is the only thing ...