"And what is this?" I said. "Right opinion," she replied, "which, as
you know, being incapable of giving a reason, is not knowledge (for
how could knowledge be devoid of reason? nor, again, ignorance, for
neither can ignorance attain the truth), but is clearly something
which is a mean between ignorance and wisdom." "Quite true," I
replied. "Do not then insist," she said, "that what is not fair is of
necessity foul or what is not good is evil, or infer that because Love
is not fair and good he is therefore foul and evil; for he is in mean
between them." "Well," I said, "Love is surely admitted by all to be a
great god." "By those who know or by those who don't know?" "By all."
"And how, Socrates," she said with a smile, "can Love be acknowledged
to be a great god by those who say that he is not a god at all?" "And
who are they?" I said. "You and I are two of them," she replied. "How
can that be?" I said. "That is very intelligible," she replied, "as
you yourself would acknowledge that the gods are happy and fair--of
course you would--would you dare to say that any god was not?"
"Certainly not," I replied. "And you mean by the happy those who are
the possessors of things good or fair?" "Yes." "And you admitted that
Love, because he was in want, desires those good and fair things of
which he is in want?" "Yes, I admitted that." "But how can he be a god
who has no share in the good or the fair?" "That is not to be
supposed." "Then you see that you also deny the deity of Love."

"What then is Love?" I asked. "Is he mortal?" "No." "What then?" "As
in the former instance, he is neither mortal nor immortal, but in a
mean between them." "What is he then, Diotima?" "He is a great spirit,
and like all that is spiritual he is intermediate between the divine
and the mortal." "And what is the nature of this spiritual power?" I
said. "This is the power," she said, "which interprets and conveys to
the gods the prayers and sacrifices of men, and to men the commands
and rewards of the gods; and this power spans the chasm which divides
them, and in this all is bound together, and through this the arts of
the prophet and the priest, their sacrifices and mysteries and charms,
and all prophecy and incantation, find their way. For God mingles not
with man; and through this power all the intercourse and speech of God
with man, whether awake or asleep, is carried on. The wisdom which
understands this is spiritual; all other wisdom, such as that