UMBERTO GALIMBERTI - Lectio magistralis: “In dialogo con Platone sulle cose dell’amore”

Plato identified the essence of love as a combination of love and madness, illustrating the concept that love is madness. He distinguished Western thinking from Eastern by emphasizing abstract thinking over concrete experiences.

Plato's influence on Western thinking led to the prioritization of abstract thinking based on numbers, ideas, measurements, and relationships, contrasting with Eastern concrete and practical thinking rooted in specific objects and experiences.

Plato emphasized the importance of reason in Western society, setting guidelines and principles to understand truth. Reason provided a system of rules and identified the identity of objects to facilitate communication and society building.

Plato highlighted the challenge of polyvalent objects where meaning can vary, leading to difficulties in understanding and predicting behavior. He stressed the importance of fixed meanings to enable effective communication and community cohesion.

Plato emphasized the significance of words and their meanings in fostering understanding and community cohesion. He underscored the need to interpret words univocally to avoid misunderstandings and breakdowns in communication.

Plato discussed the importance of poetry and creativity as means to access divine inspiration and explore new meanings beyond conventional language. Poets and artists play a crucial role in challenging boundaries and delving into the realm of madness.

Plato delved into the complex relationship between love and madness, suggesting that love is intertwined with a form of divine madness. He explored the essence of offering love and reflected on the intertwining of desire, passion, and imagination in expressions of love.

Discussing the significance of words and the opposite of enigma in Greek being problema, which implies that problems are solvable. It delves into the realm of folly and the scenarios we inhabit in dreams, touching on deep, non-rational sensations that create unease around us.

Introduction of various guests like Pausanias, Phaedrus, Aristophanes, and more at a dinner party themed around love. The discussion shifts towards the youth of generals in Greek wars and introduces Socrates as an important figure.

Socrates' approach to teaching by engaging in dialogues rather than lecturing. The focus on contradictions in speeches to test their validity and significance. The importance of standing on one's arguments without contradictions is highlighted.

Exploring the concept of love and philosophy, emphasizing the difference between being in love and experiencing love. The discussion leads to the essence of love residing in the absence and desire, challenging traditional views on relationships and emotions.

Analyzing the origins of Eros in Greek mythology, linking love to poverty and desire. The narrative unfolds around the mythological figures of poros (resource) and penia (poverty), shedding light on the connection between love and lack.

The relationship between national and crazy parts, love as trust to dive into madness, and the reciprocity of understanding each other's madness.

Understanding one's vocation leads to happiness, referencing Freud's views on desire and taboos in relation to pornography and sexuality education.

Delving into the depths of one's folly through love, the concept of reciprocity, and the necessity of experiencing madness with a partner.

Discussion on the origins of sexuality, psychological resonance in sexual events, and the impact of societal norms and education on sexual development.

The significance of embracing one's madness, the exploration of irrationality, and the desire to comprehend one's folly with the help of a partner.

Love as a transformative journey into one's madness, the influence of shared experiences on identity, and the symbolic meaning of love and relationships.

Exploring Aristophanes' whimsical tale of love, gender, and the primal connection between individuals in ancient times.

Unpacking the symbolic meanings in Greek culture, including the concept of symbols, marriage, and the interplay between reason and irrationality.

The radical difference between Greek and Judeo-Christian views on relationships, the role of society in shaping identity, and the impact of societal norms on individuality.

The interconnectedness of individuals, the importance of relationships, and the memory and reconstruction of ancient connections in modern interactions.