ms to be great disparity between the two, Aristophanes' and Socrates' speeches actually merge in their paths. Is it not human inclination to desire good and beauty? Is it not then, that to have good and beauty is to embrace it body and soul and never wanting to depart it? Thus, the desire to unite with the other half is analogous, if not the same to the desire to possess good and beauty, but in a broader scope. Aristophanes' and Socrates' explanations of love greatly mirror the nature of our existence today. Love is the knot that binds two people together. Love is having possession of freedom, which lies, perhaps, in the highest scale of goodness. The Americans are notorious for their freedom. They have it now. And it is certain that they want to always possess it. How do lovers select their beloveds? The subjects and objects in Aristophanes'schema of love is confined solely to human beings. The question is then, "how do loversselect their beloveds?" According toAristophanes, they choose their original other half.Since everybody is a matching half of a human whole lovers tend to select what is likethemselves. If a man was originally of the double sort, he will seek a woman to completehim. If he was split from a male, he will be male-oriented; their choice depends on theiroriginal orientation. In essence, Aristophanes believes that there is someone for everyone and that the match will fit like that of a substrate and enzyme. In Socrates' scala amoris, the object of desire, the beloved, is generalized into the categories of goodness or beauty. A man select a beloved that which ultimately brings him happiness. Thus, the lover can love men, animals, life, wisdom, or anything which has the predominant characteristic of being good or beautiful. However, like a religion, he must dedicate himself only to that beloved; "It's only when people are devoted exclusively to a special kind of love that we use these words, 'love,' and 'in love'. Aristo...
