Philosophy as Friendship

Central to the self-conception of the early German Romantics was the concept of Symphilosophie —philosophy, that is, which is a joint or collaborative product of friends, and which is supposed to differ categorically from the work of a solitary thinker. Here, I attempt an analysis of Romantic symphilosophy and some of their reasons for advocating it. The conception of symphilosophy, I argue, constitutes a kind of reimagining of the Platonic ascent of love. It is in the love that we have for our friends that philosophical activity is first activated. But in contrast to Plato, who sees such love as ultimately directing itself only to the timeless and impersonal forms, the Romantics view friendship as the enduring and natural context for the best kind of philosophy. The ultimate reasons behind the Romantics’ call for symphilosophy are shown to be rooted in their provocative anti-systematic vision for philosophical inquiry, on the one hand, and their distinctive conception of love, on the other.