Introduction to Plato's Phaedrus | Major Themes & How to Read It | Dr. Dan #40

What is Plato's Phaedrus and what are its major themes? What is its structure? What should we look for when we read it? Is it really just about love, or is there something more, here? Of course, there's much more!

The Phaedrus, at first glance, appears to be a dialogue between Socrates and his friend Phaedrus, giving speeches on eros after settling in the shade of a tree outside the city of Athens. But as we dive into the Phaedrus, we see the two discussing themes that range from the nature of the soul, immortality, madness, truth, rhetoric, writing, and more.

Here are the notes on Plato's Phaedrus by Robert Cavalier at Carnegie Mellon University that I am referencing. They are good notes:

Here is a commonly used map of Ancient Athens - I cannot personally attest to its accuracy, but I have seen it used by sources I consider reliable to a degree:


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Dr. Dan is an American professor, writer, and musician. His interdisciplinary research and teaching investigates issues in rhetoric, technology, emergent media, language, and writing.

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