▁in ▁this ▁original ▁sense ▁can ▁be ▁att ained ▁by ▁the ▁intellectual ▁pur ification ▁of ▁er os ▁from ▁car nal ▁into ▁ideal ▁form . ▁This ▁process ▁is ▁exam ined ▁in ▁Pl ato ' s ▁dialog ue ▁the ▁Sym pos ium . ▁Pl ato ▁arg ues ▁there ▁that ▁er os ▁is ▁initially ▁felt ▁for ▁a ▁person , ▁but ▁with ▁cont empl ation ▁it ▁can ▁become ▁an ▁appreci ation ▁for ▁the ▁beauty ▁within ▁that ▁person , ▁or ▁even ▁an ▁appreci ation ▁for ▁beauty ▁itself ▁in ▁an ▁ideal ▁sense . ▁As ▁Pl ato ▁express es ▁it , ▁er os ▁can ▁help ▁the ▁soul ▁to ▁" rem ember " ▁beauty ▁in ▁its ▁pure ▁form . ▁It ▁follows ▁from ▁this , ▁for ▁Pl ato , ▁that ▁er os ▁can ▁contribute ▁to ▁an ▁understanding ▁of ▁truth . ▁ ▁E ros , ▁understood ▁in ▁this ▁sense , ▁differ ed ▁consider ably ▁from ▁the ▁common ▁meaning ▁of ▁the ▁word ▁in ▁the ▁Greek ▁language ▁of ▁Pl ato ' s ▁time . ▁It ▁also ▁differ ed ▁from ▁the ▁meaning ▁of ▁the ▁word ▁in ▁contemporary ▁literature ▁and ▁poetry . ▁For ▁Pl ato , ▁er os ▁is ▁neither ▁purely ▁human ▁nor ▁purely ▁divine : ▁it ▁is ▁something ▁intermediate ▁which ▁he ▁calls ▁a ▁da imon . ▁▁ ▁Its ▁main ▁characteristic ▁is ▁permanent ▁asp iration ▁and ▁desire . ▁Even ▁when ▁it ▁seems ▁to ▁give , ▁er os ▁continues ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁" des ire ▁to ▁possess ", ▁but ▁never theless ▁it ▁is ▁different ▁from ▁a ▁purely ▁sens ual ▁love ▁in ▁being ▁the ▁love ▁that ▁tends ▁towards ▁the ▁sub