YTMNSFW Philosophy Evening 11/14/2013

[Moonman]

Hello, and welcome to the first of YTMNSFW philosophy discussion evenings! We'll be discussing some of the greats; from the Greek Classics of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Ovid, and Homer - to the 17th, 18th and 19th century Germans like Kant, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Schelling, Spinoza, and Nietzsche - to even the more modern 20th century philosophers like Derrida, Rand, and Chomsky.

Tonight we'll be discussing Plato's Symposium. One of Plato's two greatest works, next to Republic. Symposium consists of a series of speeches given on the subject of human love and compassion.

I will begin tonight's discussion with an essay question for you to respond to and discuss: many parallels can be drawn between Socrates' and Agathon's speeches and the New Testament of Christianity - describe these parallels, citing specific examples.