Plato in seeking the truth, figured a military coup would never succeed in over throwing the government that killed his teacher, and tried to silence his teacher's teachings. The best way to implement a change in the government and influence they way people viewed the world was to write a series of dialogues directed at the youth—even in the time of the Greeks, just as today, the youth always wish to implement change. Writing from Socrates first person point of view allows Plato to gain the most sympathy for Socrates while making a mockery of Socrates' accusers. He demonstrates the ignorance and hypocrisy of the governing senate for all to read and hear. The senate, rulers of the Democracy known for free speech, sentences a man to death for free speech.
The Greeks recognized that there were two kinds of love, Common Love and Noble Love. The combination of these two loves will make for an everlasting love. It is the love of mind, body, and soul, not the foolish love of youth, or the love of intellect a person develops later in life. It is the same today. People who wish to have true everlasting love should look through the shell of their potential mate, and discover what is on the inside. Potential lover's should know each other's inner most feelings thoughts, and intellect, not just the exterior shell. Physical beauty is deceiving. It blinds the mind to the workings of the real person. The old saying "beauty is only skin deep" is an idea that more people should accept. There is virtue in beauty, but attraction due to beauty itself, and only beauty has no virtue, and is not everlasting. Combining physical love with the love of the person's intellect is the best way to ensure a happy healthy relationship. This is the true love, and finds its roots in virtue not in beauty. Virtue is the higher form of love, and Common Love is the lowest form. The ideal form of love combines virtue with the physical attraction of Common Love.
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