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“We must realize that in each one of us there are two ruling and impelling principles whose guidance we follow, a desire for pleasure which is innate, and an acquired conviction which causes us to aim at excellence. These two principles are sometimes in agreement within us and sometimes at variance; at one moment the first and at another the second prevails. The conviction which impels us toward excellence is rational, and the power by which it masters us we call self-control; the desire which drags us toward pleasure is irrational, and when it gets the upper hand in us its dominion is called excess.”
-- Plato, "Phaedrus"
He doesn't sound like a lot of fun, does he? He sounds about as forgiving as a fundamentalist southern Baptist preacher, especially when you appreciate that he is focusing on love and sex in this dialogue as the pleasure that runs at variance with excellence. But, yes, a little Plato does fit in the poetry reading. I trust that this would be an instance in which the pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of excellence are in agreement. It does have its enchantments.
Besides, his rather chilly view on love and sex goes down more easily when they are not a real option for you anyway, paving the way for the love of wisdom and divine philosophy.
-- Plato, "Phaedrus"
He doesn't sound like a lot of fun, does he? He sounds about as forgiving as a fundamentalist southern Baptist preacher, especially when you appreciate that he is focusing on love and sex in this dialogue as the pleasure that runs at variance with excellence. But, yes, a little Plato does fit in the poetry reading. I trust that this would be an instance in which the pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of excellence are in agreement. It does have its enchantments.
Besides, his rather chilly view on love and sex goes down more easily when they are not a real option for you anyway, paving the way for the love of wisdom and divine philosophy.
