Muthos, Aporia, and Eros in the Aristophanes and Diotima of the Symposium

Abstract

This thesis claims that the encomium of Aristophanes is a significant moment of philosophical progress in the Symposium of Plato. Further, this thesis claims that a proper understanding of Aristophanes produces a more complex and fruitful understanding of the relationship between Aristophanes and the Diotima of Socrates. I show that Aristophanes and Diotima are centrally concerned with muthos and the nature of eros, with eudaimonia, and with the social and epistemic value of aporia within the polis.