Student Philosopher: Plato's Ladder of Love

[@Jimmy2times90]

“love” is just the name we give to the desire for and pursuit of wholeness. - Aristophanes

[@gnarwhal7562]

I've been reading Plato's Symposium at work. I wanted some philosophy books and stumbled on that one. I was pleasantly surprised to read that it was describing theories on the concept of love. Got inspired and started writing a song about The Ascent

[@vishalprasad2138]

Did you complete the song!

[@rschumaker1]

The concept behind these videos is so interesting: to hear from Everystudent about her endeavors in philosophy. Thousands of students start philosophy classes and most are confused and disoriented because of the language, concepts, and context of the subject. Few students today are used to the kind of reading that one finds in philosophy classes and many philosophy profs can't relate to their students very well. I teach philosophy and am having my students watch Em's videos. I have just stated this and will report how they react. For now, thank you for posting these. They are very clear and nicely done...

[@uchihadante77]

I just read it. Totally incredible. Agaton`s poem really schocked me, absolutelly fantastic. Plato and Socrates were so humble.

[@blightwolf1772]

You can really see the compassion for this in her eyes, her face constantly twitches, holding a smile as she talks expressing joy to continue the smile. It's really cool to see someone enjoying a subject to this degree.

[@MegadethBetterThanMetallicope]

What are you even talking about weirdo... she obviously keeps on looking to the left so as to read of her notes... weirdo.

[@chadilay]

I think the microphone being used isn't in great quality. It's quite difficult to hear you clearly. Or I'm just quite distracted.

[@Leopugpiano]

***** same feedback here

[@GodDamnit7711]

***** Erich Fromm.

[@mooseinbeesocks2700]

Em, I'm pretty sure I love you in every conceivable way love was ever thought to be.

[@Finalounet]

Nice to hear from that good lad Plato from time to time. Thanks for this little talk!

[@GodDamnit7711]

***** Erich Fromm.

[@theworldeatswithyou]

I like that I can just listen to the video without looking at it and don't miss out on anything important. Her voice is nice too.

[@galwww]

"true love" requires learning to respect the person as an individual, not just see them as a target for your pouring emotions. doing so will genuinely change you in a way that will be foreign to your mind, that's also why couples brake up sometimes, they ride their emotions until they run out

[@morganjones9119]

When I was in college there seemed to be two sections of the campus library. One section was relatively new, encompassing the first and basement floors. This section was where most all of the students would frequently meet and host think groups, it had few books and mostly consisted of computers and windowed rooms for separate studying. The other section was much older, being part of the university when it was first built. It was five stories tall with a narrow stairway and contained nothing but books, and closed off rooms that once held teacher's offices. I always loved this older section of the library, and would often spend hours even at the cost of missing class to read through the various volumes on science, philosophy, art, and consciousness. It was here that I first came across the Symposium, and upon first opening it I was brought to the section on beauty. I was moved by the realization of the highest, most noble of lives; "to live upon the shores of the ocean of beauty, and be friends with God if mortal man may." This section so resonated with me that I stole the pages from the novel and kept them for years as a reminder of how beautifully my life can be lived if I allow love to grow and expand in my heart and mind. I would've given anything back then to have a meaningful discussion about this passage with anyone who understood it's value and implications, as I often tried. I loved this video! Thanks School of Life!

[@TheGoodGadfly]

I love the way you say “person.”

[@SorrowisKnowledge]

The idea of the ladder that we perceive as something that is deeper than physical attraction reminds me of Jason Silva's video "Existential Bummer" that states "Beautiful things can sometimes make us sad because its what they hint at is the exception, a vision of something more, a vision of a hidden door, a rabbit hole to fall through, but a temporary one".

[@javorgeorgiev6130]

Beauty is what pleases us physically and intellectually.Love is the strength of our desire to keep that beauty for ourselves.The closer something is to our usually impossible ideals, the better.Of course,the mind lasts longer than the body and you can always become wiser.I don't really care to put one over the other though.There is no high and low.I'll always want to have both.

[@jkennedy299]

And she has a beautiful face, body, and mind!

[@cpoterry]

Yessss!!!!!! I'm so glad y'all have given this vlog style a chance! So impressed at the knowledge to be shared. You rock Em.

[@Wolf-mg1ps]

Carlos T Y'all? Really?

[@upak77]

Wolf "Y'all? Really?" Really?

[@cpoterry]

Karna Upadhyay :) Thank you

[@cpoterry]

***** I know just what you mean, i kind of do too. It's just great Em is getting a chance to shift the tide in women who talk about philosophy and I'm sure there's others out there who learn best from this format. So i guess it's nice their bring some balance :)

[@cameronpanting7365]

Fave School Of Life vid yet. Simple. Effective. Lovely :)

[@sheek3]

Lovely short essay Em. You made me reflect, I am always amazed at how much insight a person can gain out of all philosophical knowledge, even one a critiqued as Platonian forms. Perhaps that could be a topic: can philosophy be outdated or when it is, is it simply bad? But yet, I think to believe the answers we hear from Plato are still held in such esteem because we empathise with his questions and his answers.

[@consciouspointers]

How appropriate that a beautiful woman is the one to share this message with us in this video. Well done :)

[@kamaalnaushahi1950]

You know true love when it over takes you....lust does not even enter it. It's something different, beautiful and painful.

[@thrdsgrc]

at 00:38 the subtitles say “arrows” when in reality “Eros” is the concept she is referring to

[@topshelfstuff]

also from circa 1:50 there are a few lines where the word RUN is used, some may not know this but it should be RUNG ...Paste Plato doesn't want us to stay stuck on that RUNG And then we move up yet another RUNG

[@luigisolinas720]

Cara Em, la scala dell'amore è un obiettivo a cui molti filosofi hanno cercato di salire, ma, in alto hanno trovato il mistero della vita e per semplificare il tutto, hanno chiamato questo mistero col nome di Dio . A mio avviso mi sento di suggerirti che: (non c'è filosofia più bella che vivere, non morire in essa.......un cordiale saluto da Luigi.....from Italy

[@J040PL7]

just like how many people clicked for the pretty face on the thumbnail, but stayed for the knowledge that was provided throughout the video and learned that the information given was probably more important that the initial thought.

[@vincentmbe]

Always wondered why I got into philosophy after my first breakup, very eerie to encounter such a sophisticated explanation during random wanderings on KZbin. Thanks.

[@luigisolinas720]

Sicuramente diventerai una splendida insegnante, perché la bellezza della conoscenza e la tua bellezza, sono un unica cosa . COMPLIMENTI, per l'ottimo accento inglese, chiaro e comprensibile anche a coloro che non sono nativi.

[@mehrajmir4289]

Love is the indefinite integral of respect and care

[@CarlosPerez-qm1zo]

Awesome video. I hope you continue uploading. This ladder of love is very hard to act upon. The beauty of people is very enriching but I always get shy when confronting them 😫

[@CarlosPerez-qm1zo]

Thank you. The symposium is the next read on my list. At the moment i am analyzing the Quran.

[@lazyacademic]

More videos like this please! Little nuggets from philosophy. Educational and beautiful.

[@MaulScarreign]

I heard her say 2 words and now I'm in love. That accent..

[@Dima-mp3qq]

what happened to Em? she doesn't vlog anymore :(

[@kalyanarc4467]

She got scared by the comments.

[@OnlyFai740]

Since comments from guys are flooding the comment section, I want to say, as a girl myself, I really enjoy your videos Em! I would listen to you speaking about philosophy all day long and I wouldn't be bored. You are doing a great job with these videos. Keep up the good work! Oh, and I too have fallen in love with you :D

[@MC-yw2pb]

How lovely to begin the Internet part of my day with thoughts on Plato (and my favorite dialogue, too). So there is still some sanity left online! Beauty is such an urgently important subject, and the Symposium may still be the best key to understanding it. Looking forward to more of these! (Also, I'd be glad to watch longer videos on these subjects.) Any thoughts on Neoplatonism--such as how (or if) it might be fruitfully interpreted for contemporary use?

[@kevinlo7145]

Thank you for this video. Wish you had better audio for the next one. Keep up!

[@ramusvinicini]

I know KZbin isn't the proper place to leave feedback.. but I must say your research is beautiful and it inspires me to form a philosophy group of my own. Keep making videos! It'll give us a new topic to discuss

[@TheMkkr]

any plans on adding subtitles?

[@Karan-hs4by]

You tube has the option. Just click on settings in the bottom right corner of the video.

[@MindfulMomentsInNature]

Wow. Reminds me of the vision of Jacob and the ladder of angels and also Dantes representations of ascent of the spheres in Paradiso his love/infatuation started with Beatrice then transcends to the divine aspects. I want to read more Socrates Plato and Aristotle philosophies

[@AndresTorres-qj9dh]

i finally see a video on the real meaning of Platonic Love.

[@wissledrey1099]

I love the vibes and the atmosphere this video puts one in

[@patrickwiggins6955]

I like this format, I was a bit skeptical when they announced these but now I think the 'vlogs' will be pretty cool!

[@quindelin]

You don't need that subscribe annotation. There's a button right below the video and it's annoyingly redundant

[@joey1shot]

Enjoying these videos, they're the perfect length for a study break :)

[@mohamedabdelazeem9262]

You are my new favourite person on Earth. I have just began reading plato and i can't wait to hear more from you. keep it up (Y)

[@mohamedabdelazeem9262]

***** do you have any blogs or a twitter account one could follow you on, Em?

[@SpatzAI]

Love, to me is to be able to find and appreciate the counter balance for my biases. I have not come close to that yet.

[@dromgarvan]

thank you for this nice presentation.

[@noobtuber9625]

Inner beauty and outer beauty my friends.

[@MallyGx]

Em, you led me higher and higher up the ladder as the video went on. Such a great video from such a beautiful and smart woman, I loved it.

[@T.o.n.y.c.b.a]

This is my first time listening to this and I find this so interesting. This is awesome

[@maxchang7656]

I seriously need to read that book.

[@maxsanderson3066]

The very last point as a summary I didn’t get. But generally, thank you for sharing

[@andrebrunel5131]

I don't agree with the idea that physical attraction is the first level but rather a gauge that measures other dimensions of love. As those dimensions develop physical attraction grows stronger. It doesn't require sex but has a satisfying and fulfilling emotion.

[@harshita2512]

Thanks you for putting this up, keeping belief in my ideals intact😊

[@kylef4559]

Loving (pun intended) this vlog! Thank you School of Life for featuring it!

[@gabeux]

Beautiful woman detected. Initiate secondary-thought redirection through shaking-leg technique. Now ready to pay attention to the video. Works every time.

[@gabeux]

***** Glad we've got that out of the way. The next clear step is to let you know I wear glasses. *puts on sunglasses over glasses* Hahaha, have a great day! :)

[@MrRay31]

I just read this book and trying to grasp the knowledge of what I read and wanted to let that sink in, guess I am in love now LOL

[@bradyoung804]

Awesome. wow.. justifies the question and the thirst.

[@izunahosaki6133]

could you add subtitles to your videos, please? x3 because english is only my third language after french and arabic, and the english accent is so difficult to understand!! besides, youtube's subtitles confuses words like "spoke" with "spank" and other ridiculous things like that...

[@somethingtodiefor1]

I think one must highlight the role of Diotima of Mantinea - the one who taught Socrates about the love for the absolute and divine beauty. The reason why I emphasis her inclusion is because: 1. It was in essence her theory 2. Women in Classical Athens (5th and 4th centuries BC) were generally held in lower regard than men. They were considered as the child bearers and yet the central principle of the "Platonic Love" was born in the rich mind of a woman.

[@mahdialyousuf]

Great work and great playlist. Thank you so much!

[@Emirates1598]

An amazing second video Em!!! I like the message a lot and your way of giving it. Just try not to look at your side that much. I (and I suppose all) know you might get anxious or nervous but you'll get through it. Huggs from Mexico :)

[@emperorjustinianIII4403]

I love this in an agape kind of way. Am I using this word right? It was a good video, but I haven't heard you mentioning the words eros, philia and agape. Aren't these the terms that sum up everything in Plato's ladder of love?

[@Mhmgrams]

whats Socrates' understanding of the Good What is it? What is its function? How one can participate in it?

[@matchsticklepo]

what if i love a person who is not so beautiful outside? will that be wrong? how exactly is a beautiful body described here? i mean different people find different bodies to be beautiful right?

[@DilCaronageGAME]

I wish the audio quality was better :/ its hard to fully appreciate what shes saying when its hard to make it out and turning out captions didn't help at all.

[@salmachi9836]

I like intelligent , sensitive , wise persons .

[@satoshinakamoto5710]

Or, more likely, it's a ladder naturally selected for reproduction. Wisdom is cool but it's also about knowing that everyone likes to put forward their existential purpose as the center of the universe. Not that there's nothing to learn from these people.

[@nature337]

***** I think that the evolution of ideas is more important to the success of humanity than the evolution of the body. However without the starting point of are bodies we would not be able to create ideas.

[@satoshinakamoto5710]

WisdomFall Biology, Philosophy. Same thing. These are just artificial borders we place on knowledge.

[@satoshinakamoto5710]

nature337 Perhaps the evolution of ideas itself is an evolution of the body. When you form a new idea, your neuro-biological configuration is already changing.

[@rorymarsh4095]

No. It's about ascension, including the mortal desire for immortality which they believe is shown through reproduction. The ladder; ascension- is about contemplating the good / the truth and realising youre a 'lover' of wisdom and the good (the truth).

[@TITAN0402]

This is so ironic for me, Since i have met my girlfriend Emily, i have expearianced some ups and downs the past few weeks and the past two days i have been looking into philosophy, since i think allot and i am curious about everything but also have a open mind, so in a way my love for my girlfriend which is my first step on to the ladder of love has led me to a step of a love for philosophy.

[@philipposa.k6648]

The picture of the ladder at 2:46 is an Eastern Orthodox Icon of Saint John Climacus' "The Ladder of Divine Ascent". Something very interesting in itself.

[@oscarlund8820]

Wow, you're beautiful! And foremost you're smart, I'll be watching these vlogs from now on. Mesmerized by the girl, the intellect and the philosophy.

[@dallasromig8282]

Best explanation!!! Very Beautiful!!!

[@AXSammI]

Thanks for the beautiful video that you've introduced us with.

[@lorddarthstar]

It's hard not too be attracted to a beautiful woman but often I rather share my time with a woman a beautiful mind and hope she understands me.

[@Tercessunacyl]

Speaking of beautiful, she's beautiful

[@freaksuyash]

Bad audio quality. :(

[@JadeXTopaz]

***** The audio is fine,

[@1337Unlucky]

***** i think is meant to sound natural, but it is a little more echo of the normal

[@c_span]

wish you had a mic lol

[@GodDamnit7711]

***** Erich Fromm.

[@Ooooo336]

I enjoy the direct lecture content, however, the audio is making it far less enjoyable

[@Ooooo336]

***** it appeared you recorded the audio in the very room we see in the video, giving it an echo effect.

[@sopofony]

HA! I see what you're doing here miss Em, very sneaky of you! As I watched your video, I studied my own physical attraction for you then 'externalized it', seeing it as just this mental abstraction, a phenomena that stimulates me in a certain way hehe But then I take that feeling of beauty that I feel for you, and realize that it isn't just you who are beautiful and worthy of love, but other people, things, objects, concepts, and then I realize that beauty itself is the only word that matters here, it is a phenomena in itself within the great spectrum of life. Just another flavour of experience, alongside humour, euphoria, truth, and "connecting with others". But then I ask, are these concepts beautiful? Or, are humour, euphoria and the ambiguous notion of 'connecting with people' in a deep way prove to be something else aside from beauty, is beauty just one piece of the puzzle or is it that which we strive for ~ an end. In sum, I ask you (and anyone else who is reading this): Is Beauty an end or a means to an end, or a bit of both haha?? What is this love ladder business even? From my perspective, it seems to be, that Plato has universalized his own personal experience with the concept of beauty and displayed it through this ladder model. Indeed, I'm pointing to the daunting debate of beauty being subjective or objective. Could beauty ever be put into words? Are these signposts of philosophy helping us achieve beauty? By thinking of beauty do we will it into our existence? Also, if you wondering why I'm asking so many questions, I'm high (happy 420 ~ life is a stage, smoke weed until da day yoo die ayeeeeee ).

[@blackishpink016]

This somehow answers one of my question about love and attraction.

[@teatimewithshiva]

Great video. Thanks for the interesting information. Maybe expand on these ideas of Plato's in future videos.

[@lastravaganza2385]

she looks relaxed; I like it.

[@Bielenn]

Can't watch it now ( studying for epistemology exam :P ) but instant like! I'll watch it later! And, and.. in addition Em is really pretty :)

[@Slavkod]

it seems there is some echo in sound?

[@tntgamer13]

Loving these videos, they're very interesting

[@srgkzy1294]

What song is that ?

[@sleepzzz8621]

I love her voice

[@srgkzy1294]

many videos are missing :( why ?

[@MrUndersolo]

It intrigues me that so many viewers don't understand why TSL has attractive women discussing philosophy and ideas. It is a stroke of genius to present certain difficult ideas through a beautiful face and body. Plus, I'm a guy, and we respond to what we see before even thinking about what else exists beneath it all. And yeah, she's hot!

[@jungleafreeca1111]

So F brilliant!

[@iebpk]

Nice second vlog! I noticed that the sound recording from this series is very different from all the other videos. It sounds a little too echo-y. If the sound quality can be improved to match that of the others, that'd be much much better!

[@pieeater108]

Good to see this series starting to roll, but pleease consider a new microphone xD if there is a constraint regarding time or money etc to get one thats understandable though :3

[@hamza119944]

Can you change the mic?

[@brockkanies7001]

I really like these videos!

[@Phaneendra94]

British accent is a bit difficult to understand. I hope you add subtitles to it

[@Viladrau17]

Phaneendra Boosala How dare you? I'll have you know I've unwittingly switched a couple of times to paying more heed to her mesmerising accent than the topic itself. Anyway, I hope you keep recording these videos, Em. Seriously. It's refreshing watching them when resting from studying any of my engineering subjects.

[@MrVontar]

so I'm still confused why her last vid. was labelled guys with sandals. Is it because guys don't usually wear sandals and so it's as odd as her being in philosophy?

[@stanwoffles2231]

What a shame I'm not "good- looking", beacause my soul is fucking amazing, I swear!

[@InTheSummerSnow]

Stile Magehile But ur a ginger...

[@andrebrunel5131]

Still great stuff.

[@Rident_]

Beautiful.

[@alfsaav]

Of course, no worries!! Loved the latest Spinoza vid you had btw!! Wish you could touch some topics or characters related to South America. I'm from Bolivia just in case. Best,

[@TanmayAbanerjee1993]

Your videos are amazing. However, the auto generated captions are usually incorrect. If possible, can you please add captions to your videos. :-)

[@Ace4stealth]

Fantastic.

[@luigisolinas2610]

Quando si è giovanissimi come te, si ha molta confusione circa la chiara definizione dell'amore. L'antinomia tra l'amore platonico e il desiderio sessuale, sono il punto in cui si cade in questo ostacolo. In realtà, più si procede con gli anni ,e più l'amore si delinea attraverso il suo vero stato.Esso tende verso il materialismo poiché ,prende più vigore l'idea della PASSIONE, la quale riconduce l'amore stesso al piacere materiale. Qualsiasi amore viene animato dalla passione : nello sport, nell'arte, in qualsiasi attività. Un amore platonici porta al trascendentale e di conseguenza, NON È CAPACE DI CONCRETIZZARE SE STESSO NELLA REALTÀ.... Un saluto da Luigi...Italy.... Sardinia