Plato's Symposium is an influential dialogue that explores the relationship between erotic desire, virtue, and wisdom. It does so through fictional speeches by famous Athenian thinkers at a dinner party, with Socrates arguing that erotic desire can lead to appreciation of beauty itself. While leaving debates open-ended, Plato presents erotic desire as positively contributing to philosophy and ethics. Symposium has significantly shaped over two millennia of discussion on love and desire's connection to virtue.