Diotima, the female philosopher who presents a theory of love and beauty in Plato’s Symposium, has puzzled historians regardless of whether she was real or not.
Some historians argue that Diotima of Mantineia actually existed since many characters in Plato’s dialogues were real historical figures. There is a tendency to believe this especially because Plato provides lots of detailed biographical information on her in Symposium. This would have been unlikely for a fictional character.
The etymology of the name Diotima (Διοτίμα), one who honors Zeus (Δίαν-τιμών), alludes to a priestess. In Symposium, Socrates calls his fellows to tell them what Diotima, the wise priestess from Mantineia, taught him about the true nature of love.
Diotima in Plato’s Symposium is thus presented as a wise priestess who teaches the great philosopher about love. A woman who is a server of Zeus among a symposium of men and takes the role of the teacher is a plausible character for such an audience.
Female Greek Philosopher Diotima in Plato’s Symposium
The participants in Plato’s Symposium explore the meaning of Eros, which, in ancient Greek philosophy, represents sensual or passionate love, a concept from which the term erotic is derived. Beyond its association with romantic desire, Eros has also been interpreted in philosophy and psychology in a broader sense, often symbolizing “life energy” or the driving force of vitality.
Socrates says that Diotima taught him “the philosophy of love.”
The ancient Greek female philosopher Diotima agreed to teach him and described to him the nature of love, which is different from what most people believe. She said that there is difference between Eros and Love, something that sometimes people fail to distinguish. She defined Eros arguing that there is a ladder from Eros to reach Love and that Eros is a spirit that reaches heights through the Ladder of Love.
Socrates: “But what, anyway, could Eros be? Is it mortal?”
Diotima: “No way.”
Eros, according to Diotima, is a divinity between supernatural beings and humans—a divinity with a contradictory nature—since it was born from Penia (poverty) and Poros (resource):
First of all, Eros is always poor and far from gentle and beautiful, as many people think. On the contrary, it is rough, dirty, barefoot, homeless.
“Eros shares the nature of its mother and always has deprivation as its roommate. Again according to its father’s nature, it devises the fine and the chosen, it is brave, risky, impetuous, a terrible hunter, constantly devising tricks, but at the same time endowed with a desire for the knowledge of the truth as well as ingenuity.
Eros is whimsy, says Diotima
About Eros, Diotima also says in Plato’s Symposium:
“Sometimes within the same day it flourishes and lives, when it finds the means, sometimes it dies, but comes to life again thanks to the nature of its father. What it acquires each time slowly runs away and is lost. So Love is never completely poor or rich. And between wisdom and folly it is, again, in the middle.
So things are like this: no god loves wisdom, nor desires to become wise—because he is. Neither does another, if he is wise, loves wisdom. But, on the other hand, even those who are foolish have no desire to become wise. For this is precisely what is unbearable in folly, that, without being beautiful, respectable and knowledgeable, one remains satisfied with oneself.”
Socrates: “Who then, Diotima, are those who philosophize, if they are neither the wise nor the foolish?”
Diotima: “This now,” she said, “is evident even to a child: those who are between the two. One of them is Eros. For wisdom is evidently one of the most beautiful things, and Eros is love for the beautiful. Therefore, Eros is necessarily a philosopher, and as a philosopher he is something between a wise man and a fool. The reason for this is his origin. His father was wise and inventive, but his mother was neither wise nor inventive.”
Eros becomes Love
As the body gives birth, the soul also gives birth, and this pregnancy is the most important. The driving force, for both, is Love, which invites lust and birth for everything beautiful.
The woman, then, is the person that can perfectly express both, physicality and spirituality. Perhaps this is why Plato chooses a woman to “teach” about Love in his Symposium.
In Diotima’s view, Love drives the individual to seek beauty. First, it is earthly beauty. Then as a lover grows in wisdom, the beauty that is sought is spiritual. For Diotima, the most correct use of Love of other human beings is to direct one’s mind to love of wisdom, or philosophy.
Platonic love, according to Diotima in Plato’s Symposium
In conclusion, what emerges from Socrates’ dialogue is that Diotima introduces him to Platonic love, the cerebral, the pure, the love based on true love, as opposed to the carnal which is abhorred after the act.
For Diotima, love goes through three successive stages: the body, the soul, and knowledge. The path is directed from matter to spirit and from body to intellect. It is about spiritual love.
For Plato, love is an idea, with the purpose of the upward path of the individual to the highest step of erotic mysticism. Through his Symposium, Plato attempted to communicate his beliefs on love using Socrates and Diotima as the vessels whereby he could bring his ideas to life for his audience.
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