Philosopher File: Diotima

Priestess and philosopher of love

Image: The Polish poet and novelist Jadwiga Łuszczewska, posing as Diotima. By Józef Simmler (1823–1868). Public Domain. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Diotima was a teacher of Socrates, a priestess, and a philosopher of love. She appears only once in contemporary accounts, in the work of Plato; and for centuries, scholars have debated her historicity. But whether or not she truly existed, the ideas attributed to her are both subtle and powerful.

Life