[lit-ideas] The Poisoned Bowl

A short ps re W. O's brilliant jeux de mot, "pub(lic) space of  reason".

I once gave a lecture in Argentina, which got published, on Grice. I
entitled it "The feast of reason", and it quoted this Addison verse,

          if I remember  correctly

                    the feast of reason, the life of soul
                    there St. John mixes with the friendly bowl.

---- in any case, I thought it was appropriate, since it was a paper on 
this 'fellow at St. John's" (Grice) and it _was_ about _reason_, or
'conversational reason', actually. I think the thing is referenced in  
Philosopher's
Index, if you believe that!

-----

-----

Anyway...

Later I learned of the existence of this book, "The poisoned bowl", or
memories of homosexuality in public English schools! and wasn't Socrates
poisoned too!? So there's a double edge to the 'symposium'.

Liddell/Scott, an open resource, has some interesting 'ontological'
distinctions. The symposion is really the _act_ itself, but also the gathering.
The famous one, that Rickards illustrated to nicely -- art nouveau or stile
liberty as the Italians call it -- took place, I learned later, at the
harbour.  Alcibiades I think _rode_. Socrates we don't know. It would be like 2
miles from  Athens -- and 'far from the maddening crowd' as it were.

sumposi-on , to,

A. drinking-party, symposium, Thgn. 298,496, Phoc.11, Alc.Supp.23.3,
Pi.N.9.48, al., Hdt.2.78, X.Cyr.8.8.10, etc.; s. kataskeuasai, philois
paraschein, sunagein, Pl.R.363c, Plu.2.198b, Ath.5.186c, etc.; paidagôgein
Pl.Lg.641b .--Pl., X., and Plu. wrote dialogues under this name.

II. the party itself, the guests, LXX 3 Ma.5.36, Plu.2.157d, 704d;
anaklithênai . . sumposia sumposia in groups, Ev.Marc.6.39.

III. the room in which such parties were given, tou s. stegê Callix.2 , cf.
 BGU1793.11 (i B.C.); sairein to s. Luc.D Deor.24.1, etc.

----- I read today that they were collecting money to put a 'roof' on
Aristotle's Lycaeum in Athens. Why, I thought. And deprive the co-symposiast of
the bright stars above?

Cheers,

JL Speranza
    Bordighera, etc.
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