Phaedrus

by Plato

"Phaedrus" by Plato is a dialogue written around 370 BC. Socrates encounters the young Phaedrus outside Athens, who has just heard a speech about love. What begins as a countryside stroll becomes an intricate philosophical exploration of love, rhetoric, and the human soul. Through three competing speeches, Socrates and Phaedrus debate whether it's better to favor a lover or a non-lover, ultimately revealing deeper questions about divine madness, the soul's nature, and the proper practice of persuasive speech.