WGST 5933 - Philosophy of Eros

Why is philosophy an erotic activity and what are the implications of this insight? We will explore these issues, first, by reading Plato’s erotic dialogues: “Lysis,” “Symposium” and “Phaedrus.” Then we will focus on Freud’s influential (and controversial) appropriation of Plato’s thought in the writings that span his career, from “The Interpretation of Dreams” (1900) to “Civilization and its Discontents” (1930) and beyond. Finally, we will survey post-Freudian theories of Eros, such as Michel Foucault’s “H Semester Hours: 3 to 3