Glitzy Metaphysics and a Generational Gap

This morning, I had a brief conversation with my mom about Aristotle. I listed three things I didn't like about Aristotle. She told me that I obviously did not understand Aristotle. "People who understand Aristotle know he's the smartest person who ever lived," she said. "If you don't like him, you don't understand him. Some day you'll grow up and like Aristotle," she concluded. I almost burst out at this condescension (based solely on her opinion!), but instead checked myself and said she was right; it's Mother's Day, and I don't get to be subversive on Mother's Day.

I take this all with a grain of salt. Of course I don't "understand" Aristotle; I haven't read and retained enough to make any such claim. I despair that I may never understand the man. But I do understand Plato, and I liked The Republic (read a few years ago), the Symposium, and the other things we read quite a bit. So she asked me to explain one thing I liked about the Symposium and here's what I said:

More than Diotema's teaching and Socrates' almost-systematized view on Love, I adore learning what I can of humanity in the first five speeches. I've always agreed that when a person speaks or writes, the easiest thing to see is traits of their character. I found it especially interesting that Plato writes in Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes and Agathon defining Love as they are experiencing it, selecting their own profession as understanding it best; and then he gives his (Diotema's) account in exactly the same way. I'm certain he saw that he was selecting his own profession as understanding it best. I interpret this as a reference to the intense, entirely personal nature of Love. I've often seen successful relationships and thought, "How the hell did that relationship last? They don't love each other!" But I don't know that; I can't see their love, because it is only between them. Love is universal, but not universally the same. Anyway, I love how discussing love reveals more about the person discussing than love itself. And that's why I think the Symposium is so fascinating and brilliant.

After this explanation, she said, "Yeah, you just like glitzy metaphysics." I laughed. That's exactly right.

And this provides me with the perfect opportunity to practice a little psychological philosophy like Plato does in the Symposium. I've always sensed a critical difference between my mom and myself; but I'm in a different place in life, and right now I value people more than I value ideas. It seems she's gotten over other people and wants to get her morals right. I feel like I have time to let my morals shift wherever my conscience tells them to go, but maybe I will settle down like she did. Maybe I will feel the need to systematize my actions. Granted, we are two different people, but we're too genetically similar for me to say she's just repressed and I'm just not.

Anyway, I'm glad she gave me an opportunity to sound a little grown up. And until I do grow up, I'll just find comfort in my glitzy metaphysics.