Diotima was a Greek priestess and philosopher of antiquity. She was the teacher of Socrates.

“Diotima presupposes a hierarchical dualism between body and soul, physicality and spirituality, that requires conscious effort to realize our full moral and rational potential. The soul is prioritized as our highest identity, particularly the soul pregnant with wisdom and virtue. Elevated beyond mere procreation on the phenomenal plane, it seeks to give birth to noumenal offspring—poetry, art, inventions, and mostly importantly temperance and justice.” (Wawrytko, ECC, 2019).

“The ascent is a central concept of philosophical and religious thinking: in a process of several stages of self-transformation (aesthetic, ethical and epistemic) the ascendant transforms their thinking, the ethics which guide their life and consequently their relationship to the world, God and their fellow human beings. In a philosophical context, ascent is introduced as a concept of a successful experience of transcendence by the mystery priestess Diotima and is adopted by Socrates in Plato’s Symposium (210a-212c).” (Bachmann, ECC).

We have a interview format “Conversations with Diotima”. Find it here on our YouTube channel.  The project “Conversations with Diotima” is a talk format produced by the Center HWPS that gives interesting and unconventional insights into the history of women philosophers. Its name refers to the instruction of Socrates by Diotima in Plato’s dialogue Symposium. Therefore, the videos are conducted like interviews between the team of the Center and experts for different women philosophers and their fields of expertise. The Conversations are published on the webpage and the public video platform YouTube to raise public awareness for the history of women philosophers.

More ECCs on Diotima:

• Ascent in Diotima of Mantinea (ca. 440 B.C.E.)
• Beauty in Diotima of Mantinea (ca. 440 B.C.E.)
• Immortality in Diotima of Mantinea (ca. 440 B.C.E.)
• Love in Diotima of Mantinea (ca. 440 B.C.E.)
• Soul in Diotima of Mantinea (ca. 440 B.C.E.)

References:

Wawrytko, Sandra A. (2019). Soul in Diotima of Mantinea (ca. 440 B.C.E). In: ECC, Encyclopedia of concise concepts by women philosophers, 1 Online-Ressource (2 pages). DOI: 10.17619/UNIPB/1-564

Bachmann, Viktoria (2019). Ascent in Diotima of Mantinea (ca. 440 B.C.E). In: ECC, Encyclopedia of concise concepts by women philosophers, 1 Online-Ressource (2 pages).