[In-person] Plato’s Lysis: Friendship, Love, and the Search for Wisdom

Why we picked it

People often come to meetups like TPM to connect with people who are likeminded or share a common interest. Some people remain acquaintances, while others might progress to friendship. But what is friendship, exactly? And what is it to find, form, and sustain friendship in adulthood? Why are we drawn to some people and not others? Can we explain what it is to love someone without simply describing how it feels? In this in-person meetup, we will read and explore Plato's Lysis, one of his most engaging and elusive dialogues. Plato invites us into a conversation that examines competing accounts of friendship, affection, and human need, only to expose their strengths and limitations. The dialogue raises questions that remain relevant today: Do we love people because they are good? Because they are useful? Because they complete something lacking in ourselves? Please do the reading before the meetup. A good translation of the text can be found on pages 687-707 of the pdf here: https://app