Desires in Plato’s Lysis and their function in the development of friendship
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Abstract
The objective of this article is to carry out an analysis of the term ἐπιθυμίαι in Plato's Lysis. We seek to demonstrate that desires, despite being analyzed from an exclusively irrational and negative perspective, are intrinsically linked to the very formation of friendship and are also necessary and inevitable in the life of human beings. This relevance is accentuated by observing the following: passage 221b (6-7) of the Lysis focuses solely on sensible appetites, while passage 221d (4-5) seems to refer to a type of general desire capable of adequately guiding particular desires. It is curious that Plato associates sensible appetites with this general desire, and that both interact constantly. It seems – and this is what I will try to demonstrate throughout the text – that these immediate desires play a crucial role in the very structuring of friendship. In the context of the discussion on this topic, we find the insights of Miguel Baró (2008), who considers that desires are our closest and most essential connection in our relationships with the world.
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