Kairos & Absolute Truth

I’m wrestling with the fact that one truth can prevail no matter the circumstance. When one agrees there is an “absolute truth”, kairos gets pushed aside, even though it seems to play a crucial role in what we believe. That one universal truth can hold true for whatever time or place you’re in seems closed-minded, too small to contain all of the truths the entire world holds, as per the Sophist belief. For in the moment that we read Lysias’ speech, did we not believe those things to be true? Did we not discredit the lover and empower the non-lover, only to realize that by doing so, we “sinned against Love” by considering him “evil” (147; left column)? If we follow the argument of absolute truth, Lysias and Socrates cannot both be right, but in their own minds, they are. Who, then, is the superior? And how does one dig through all of the possible definitions of Love, or other truths, to determine which is right?

“With its deft characterizations, this format also allows Plato to imply that the absolute truth he seeks is not to be uncovered by people’s rational abilities, or logos, alone; ethical and pathetical elements necessarily accompany conversations among real people” (Bizzell and Herzberg 29). By allowing his argument to proceed as conversation, Plato has neatly set the stage for an agreeable conclusion about what “Love” truly is, and the superiority of lovers to non-lovers, instead of the other way around. It seems as though these “ethical and pathetical elements” could stretch to include a number of things, including an ability to use this hypnotic setting to his advantage. Much of the first part of the reading is concerned with Phaedrus and Socrates finding cool shade underneath a plane tree in the midmorning (140; right column), an undeniably sensual and pleasant atmosphere for their conversation. Would they define love the same way in a different setting? Or do these universal, undeniable truths held fast by the two remain the same even out of context? More questions than answers seem to have arisen... Hopefully the answers will be found?