Of Alexander Nehamas 'Article' Only In The Contemplation Of Beauty

In Alexander Nehamas' article ''Only in the Contemplation of Beauty...'', he is determined to find out if there is any truth behind Socrates' supposition of the nature of love and beauty, found in Plato's Symposium. Nehamas not only wants to provide a better understanding of the relationship between love and beauty, but also challenge Plato's belief that virtue produces an invulnerable future to anyone who actively pursues it. Nehamas explains why Plato believes that the pursuit of beauty will lead to an optimal life by describing the form of beauty's indispensability. He goes through Socrates' hierarchy of love to show how physical beauty is ultimately diminished in the presence of virtue. The lover's thinking is therefore transformed from seeking the understanding individualistic beauty to understanding beauty on a universal scale.
Nehamas also imparts to his readers that the quest to secure immortality is a basic human trait that is driven by the desire to give birth to beauty. Beauty therefore serves as a catalyst to motivate people to cultivate themselves for the greater good of the community. This greater good is synonymous with the word virtue, which is also recognized as being the highest form of beauty. Nehamas however interjects with Socrates belief that an optimal life will be had when pursuing beauty. He proclaims that the judgement of beauty is perspective and therefore subject to risk. He believes that, because the lover does not know how the pursuit of beauty is going to effect him, we cannot conclude that it will always produce a positive result. The author uses Socrates' failure to support his claim as evidence of holes in his