The quest for absolute beauty in Plato's Symposium

At a certain point in the speech of Diotima in Plato's Symposium, there occurs a sudden change in focus from love (eros), the central theme of the dialogue, to beauty (kallos). At this point, Diotima begins her account of the spiritual ascent of the individual from our normal, limited appreciation of the beauty of particular physical forms, towards the pinnacle of human attainment, the full realization of absolute beauty or the Good. This article examines Plato's concept of eros in its most elevated sense through a close reading of Diotima's description of the nature of absolute beauty. Note is taken of Plato's devastating critique of cultural relativism, whose influence is all too prevalent today. In conclusion, I draw attention to the vital connection between Plato's notion of eros and the attainment, in distinct stages, of absolute beauty or the Good.