While the Symposium is often praised as a literary masterpiece, the logic of its overall construction remains a deep puzzle. Why are these seven speeches singled out from the other speeches delivered that night, and why are they taken to be the ones "worth remembering" (178a)? Why do they proceed in the order that they do, and what is the relationship between what Socrates says and what everybody else says? These questions cause the Symposium to be a curious and problematic text: what are we to make of Plato speaking with all these unfamiliar voices?Here I will explore the thesis that the first four speeches of the Symposium are propaedeutic for philosophy. I argue that the concerns raised in the early speeches highlight features of Plato's psychology and aspects of his education program that are more fully developed in the Republic. As the Republic also contains a philosophical ascent, the upshot for this reading of the Symposium is that we can see consistency across these dialogues insofar as both ascent passages are preceded by discussions that reflect concerns about education and character. In particular, Plato highlights four psychological features that are necessary for the soul to make progress on the ascent: firstly, it must have strong spirited capacities; secondly, it must be lawful and aim at virtue; thirdly, its various opposing elements must be harmonized; finally, its appetites must be minimized and orderly. 1 I contend that these four goals of education correspond to the first four speeches of the Symposium and that philosophical progress will not be possible without these psychic qualities.
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