Banquetes sin filantropía: a propósito de De genio Socratis 594A ss.

Abstract

The dialogue De genio Socratis takes place in Thebes, at the house of Simmias, one of Socrates’ Theban disciples, at the time of the Theban democratic conspiracy (379 B.C.) against the Spartan oligarchic invaders. The paper deals to a certain extent with the formal structure of the dialogue. In this study I argue a paradox exists between, on the one hand, the conversation among the conspirators about the nature of the Socratic “daemon”, which by its subject and the characteristics of the speakers could be considered a real “symposion”, and, on the other, the so-called “symposion”, which gathers Archias, Philip and the other Spartans, who are only preoccupied with women and wine. The author could have made of this gathering a “symposion”, but he preferred to do a drama. He identifi es the banquet with wine, women and drunkenness, whilst the conspirators are identifi ed with moderation and with philosophical and religious discussions. Despite this paradox the theory of the soul, through the theory of the daemon and the presence of Socrates’ daemon, occupies an important role throughout this work of Plutarch.