The Philosophy Department’s Symposium on Plato’s Symposium — Great Success

On Friday, January 23, 2026, The Philosophy Department hosted a symposium on Plato’s dialogue, the Symposium. Professor Christopher Moore organized and hosted the event. Professors Ted Bergsma, Brady Bowman, Erin McKenna Hanses, Alex Host, and Jasmine Wallace spoke. All five gave moving speeches. There was significant participation from the audience, the estimated size of which was ninety people. 158 Willard Building was standing room only! The Symposium on the Symposium was a great event — especially in light of recent political developments.

Original Flyer information:

Join us for a discussion of one of the classical world’s most influential philosophical dialogues—and, very recently, one of its most controversial. Our source of the idea of “Platonic friendship, ” the work’s characters praise “Love” (Erôs) and follow the priestess Diotima’s teachings about the passion for knowledge and beauty. It is also a serious account of the kinds of social relationships that ancient Greek philosophers found most generative. Five professors will talk about the importance of this text and its ideas in their classroom and their lives.