Plato's Symposium in Prague

Dear Vice-Chancellor,

On April 28 I informed you that I was going to have a talk on Plato at the Faculty of Philosophy at Charles University in Prague. In my e-mail I wrote: 'Mrs Kosakova, who invited me, suggested to me that we meet in front of the entry to the Faculty at 14:00; the talk begins at 14:10. I replied that I welcomed her suggestion. In her e-mail she informed me that after my talk at room 313 we shall move to room 325 (I am not sure about the number of the room) to continue the discussion, which will be attended by Mr Stahlavsky from the Czech Radio.

I wanted to look at the e-mail, but it disappeared from my Inbox. Then I wanted to look at my reply in the Sent messages; it disappeared from my Sent messages as well.'

In Prague, at the Faculty of Philosophy I gave two lectures, one on May 4, one on May 5. Mr Stahlavsky, whom I invited to my lectures wrote to me that he was looking forward to meeting me. Mr Stahlavsky did not attend my lecture, without giving me or to Mrs Kosakova any explanation. Some students, who did not attend my lecture, came to attend the discussion that was to be attended by Mr Stahlavsky from the Czech Radio; they were sorely disappointed.

But let me speak about something positive. I enjoyed every minute in Prague. Apart from my two talks at the Philosophy Faculty I gave a talk at Newton University, a private university for business men.

At Newton University I wanted to give the Prague business men and business-men-to-be a picture of Plato that would become a permanent part of their cultural awareness; I depicted to them Plato’s Symposium. My second lecture at the Faculty of Philosophy was on Plato’s Symposium, and so I was not unprepared for my lecture at the Newton University.

The Symposium is narrated by Apollodorus. In the opening line Apollodorus addresses his friends: ‘I think I am not unprepared in what you ask about.’ The other day (prw|&hn) he was going to the town from his home in Phalerum, when someone he knew caught sight of him and called: ‘Won’t you wait for me?’ The man wanted to be informed about the meeting of Agathon, Socrates, Alcibiades, and the others, ‘what the speeches were about love’ (peri\ tw~n e0rwtikw~n lo/gwn ti/nej h1san): ‘But first tell me, were you present at this gathering yourself?’ Apollodorus was appalled at the man’s ignorance: ‘Glaucon, don’t you know that Agathon hasn’t lived here for many years, whereas it’s not even three years yet that I’m spending my time with Socrates, anxious to know every day what he says and does? Before that I was running around every which way, thinking I was doing something important, while I was more wretched than anybody, no less than you are now, thinking that one must do anything rather than pursue philosophy (oi0o/menoj dei=n pa/nta ma=llon pra/ttein h2 filosofei=n).’

Glaucon, Plato’s younger brother, Is Socrates’ main interlocutor in the Republic. From the introduction to the Symposium we can infer that after hearing the talks about love, narrated to him by Apollodorus, he became a follower of Socrates, and a passionate student of philosophy.

Apollodorus says to his friends that he will narrate to them with pleasure what happened at that meeting of Agathon, Socrates, Alcibiades and the others, what were the speeches on love pronounced on that occasion, for he is delighted when he hears someone talking on philosophy, or when he himself talks on philosophy: ‘But when I hear other kind of talk, especially from you rich businessmen (tw~n plousi/wn kai\ xrhmatistikw~n), I am irritated  and pity you, my friends (au0to/j te a1xqomai u9ma=j te tou\j e9tai/rouj e0lew&).’

My presentation of Plato’s Symposium, including the discussion that followed, lasted three hours. The audience was spellbound, never in my life was I rewarded with such an enthusiastic applause.

Let me end by a quotation from my previous e-mail: ‘Is it not time for Oxford academics to invite me to present my views on Plato at Oxford University? At present, when the Czech academics [philosophers, and classicists] do their best to prevent me from presenting my views on Plato at Charles University, they do it with the best conscience: they do their best to follow the Oxford example.’

With best wishes,

Julius Tomin