The work from which these selections are taken is a commentary on Plato’s Symposium. The Symposium takes the form of a series of speeches in praise of love—the selection you read was from the sixth of these—and Ficino’s commentary follows this organization. You will find ideas also from the Phaedrus and from Plotinus. Watch for the connections among Ficino, Plato, and Plotinus, but watch also for differences between what Ficino says and what you’ve read in the ancient authors; remember that there is better than a millennium between Plotinus and Ficino. In their introduction to the Plotinus selections, the editors suggest one thing to watch for: they say Ficino replaces the philosopher by the artistic genius. You may not find obvious evidence of this, but look for hints of it.

I’ve chosen mostly passages which include Ficino’s views on the connections between the recognition of beauty and ordinary sense perception, so watch for this, too; it will be a topic also in Shaftesbury and Hume, who you will read next.

• Sel. from 2nd speech, ch. 3 (HK 210-211). This provides a pictorial image for Ficino’s variation on Plotinus’ metaphysics; notice especially the final description of the material world as an image.

• 2nd speech, ch. 5 (HK 213). Notice the characterization of beauty; this may remind you of some ideas in the Phaedrus (see HK 61).

• 5th speech, chs. 1-2 (HK 216-219). Here look for the comparison of goodness and beauty in ch. 1 and the distinction among the senses in ch. 2.

• 5th speech, ch. 5 (HK 224-225). In this (as well as chs. 3 and 4 just before it) Ficino expands an argument you’ve seen in Plotinus (HK 141-144). In this chapter notice especially the account (HK 224f) of cases where we are pleased by images without knowing why.

• 5th speech, ch. 6 (HK 226-228). Among these selections, this is probably the point where Ficino’s discussion comes closest to actual works of art.

I’ll suggest that we focus our discussion on what Ficino says on HK 217-219 about the differences among the senses. Think both about Ficino’s specific claims and about the general question of whether the term “beauty” is equally appropriate for all of the senses.