On the Nature of the Platonic Erôs: Daimôn or Theos? [Spanish]

Authors

  • María Angélica Fierro Investigadora Adjunta Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Jefa de Trabajos Prácticos Facultad de Filosofía y Letras Universidad de Buenos Aires

Keywords:

Philosophy

Abstract

Although in the Symposium Plato describes Erôs as a daimôn-metaxy, i.e. as an intermediate and intermediary divinity between gods and men, in the Phaedrus it is said that Erôs is a theos —a god. I will try to show that these different descriptions do not imply a substantial change of mind but work as two complementary views about the true nature of Erôs. According to the Phaedrus, although erôs can remain just at a physical level and not develop its divine power, it is also possible that, thanks to the same intense, sexual desire for the beautiful boy, the lover recollects the Form of beauty and so grows divine Erôs`s wings. However, only the gods never lose their wings and so are in regular, full contact with the Forms. The human souls need to acquire the wings and even so take the risk of losing them; they are then in an intermediate state —metaxy— like Erôs in the Symposium.

Author Biography

  • María Angélica Fierro, Investigadora Adjunta Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Jefa de Trabajos Prácticos Facultad de Filosofía y Letras Universidad de Buenos Aires

    María Angélica Fierro. Graduated as Profesora en Filosofía (Faculty of Arts, University of Buenos Aires); Doctor of Philosophy (University of Durham, United Kingdom); Associate Researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET - Argentina); Assistant Lecturer in Ancient Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Buenos Aires; Permanent Fellow at the Visiting Scholars Board, ARCHAI Unesco Chair (University of Brasilia). She did a two-years Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Institute of Philosophical Research (UNAM, Mexico). She has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses in her native country and abroad, and published several articles in scientific journals as well as chapters of books in Spanish and English, mainly regarding Plato´s philosophy. Her translation of Plato´s Phaedrus into Spanish with notes and commentary is forthcoming and will be published by Colihue Printing House, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Published

2017-11-20

Issue

No. 28 (2018): January-June 2018

Section

Articles

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