Trying out some new looks
Plato's Symposium is the original problematic fave.
It's a great work of philosophy. It's also the source of the idea that we are all broken and miserable unless we find and attach ourselves to our "other half." Plus there are literally no women allowed in the room while the discussion takes place.
Historical pataphysicist Carla Nappi and I co-taught Plato's Symposium for a couple of years, and discovered we had a lot of feelings about it that we needed to deal with. So we undertook a creative project: to rewrite--or more accurately reimagine--the Symposium, reworking the text as it was handed down to us, looking to explore its silences and the ways we find ourselves troubled by its influence.
The first publications from the project are now available!
In this month's Philosophers Magazine you can read Prof. Nappi's rewrite of The Speech of Phaedrus, my poem Before Aristophanes, and a short conversation between the two of us where we talk about where the project is coming from.
If you don't have a copy of the Philosophers Magazine you can find the pdf of our section (shared with permission) over at The Invisible College, where we'll also be sharing future developments.
We'd love to hear reactions or questions about the project. If you are curious about it or have thoughts to share, feel free to contact us here.