Current class notes that strike me as eloquent and wonderful:
(Taken from Plato's Phaedrus:) Prophecy, poetry, music, love. We associate excellence of human endeavor with these things. They lead us beyond reason and sense. There are experiences of madness, but that doesn’t make them less worthwhile. There are areas of madness which fulfill the excellence of the pursuit. Love is not only lust, but something beautiful, interested in the good of the person rather than the delights of the person’s body.
One should never prefer a friend over a lover, for love is excellent. One wouldn’t have a decent life without love or their lover. Friendship is necessary, yet not excellent. It is enjoyed, but should not be preferred to love.
We learn of passion, and beautiful bodies. We move from one to another, eventually becoming acquainted with beautiful souls and personalities. We eventually come to love the total human enterprise of “soul-making,” such as music, art, culture. Most excellent love wishes to extend the beauty of the soul forever.
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