Plato, Allan Bloom wrote, is "the most erotic of philosophers," and his Symposium is one of the greatest works on the nature of love ever written. This new edition brings together the English translation of the renowned Plato scholar and translator, Seth Benardete, with two illuminating commentaries on it: Benardete's "On Plato's Symposium" and Allan Bloom's provocative essay, "The Ladder of Love." In the Symposium, Plato recounts a drinking party following an evening meal, where the guests include the poet Aristophanes, the drunken Alcibiades, and, of course, the wise Socrates. The revelers give their views on the timeless topics of love and desire, all the while addressing many of the major themes of Platonic philosophy: the relationship of philosophy and poetry, the good, and the beautiful.
《会饮篇》（或作《飨宴篇》、《宴话篇》）是古希腊哲学家柏拉图的一篇对话式作品，在前385年后不久写成。它是一段关于对爱的本质的作品，以演讲和对话的形式写成，既有讽刺式的，也有认真的。背景是一群雅典男性在一个酒宴之中的谈话。他们对话的大前提是（而且有些讲者更清楚说明），最高贵的爱是男人之间的爱。爱是对美的企盼，美貌、智慧和美德都被讨论。略为反对古希腊风俗中男人对少年的爱，说他们更应该去爱一个男子并长相厮守，并强调两人间若只有美德与知识的交流最为崇高。而其他种类的爱，包括异性恋，也许是古希腊对女子的蔑视（但苏格拉底的发言却又被记为是从一位睿智妇人而来），所占篇幅相对地少，而且明显不被喜爱。