Endeia and euporia, “lack” and “inventiveness”

the Socratic lexicon for the nature of eros in the Symposium

Abstract

This paper focuses on the early parts of Socrates' speech in the Symposium, in which the philosopher describes the nature of eros, before discussing its effects. It is proposed that Plato introduces a specific vocabulary to describe the erotic phenomenon, which, unlike other approaches to desire in general across the corpus, tacitly rejects the model of filling and emptying (πλησμονή and κένωσις) more characteristic of those usually called appetites (ἐπιθυμίαι). In this dialogue, Socratic eros, an intermediary par excellence, oscillates between fleeting states of ἔνδεια, lack, and εὐπορία, “inventiveness”, without aiming at satiety. The first section of the paper focuses on the vocabulary of lack established, for the most part, in the elenchos of Agathon (199c-201d), a character whose thesis, based on divine superabundance, is refuted by the establishing of the needy and aporetic (resourceless) character of eros. In the second section, the choice of Poros (Resource) and Penia (Poverty) by Diotima as eros' parents (203b-204c) is analysed on the basis of the relevant uses of these terms in the preceding literature. It is through the interaction of parental characteristics that eros will be defined as "euporetic", which can be translated as “inventive”. By the establishing of the pair endeia (aporia) — euporia  — familiar terms to the readers of the corpus for their eminently discursive application –, Socrates will be able to describe the expression of erotic desire, and specifically philosophical desire, as the incessant search for a logos.