... And the greatest of these is love

Socrates... He does that

"In a word, then, loves is the desire to possess the good forever"

        Once again, Socrates is at the top of his game, and by "his game" I mean undermining fools' misconceptions through flawless cross examination. All, of course, while under the pseudo-sincere pretense of being completely ignorant of the topic of discussion. Socrates is kind of a jerk. But maybe that's not fair to say. It is possible that it would come across as even more inflammatory if he dropped the act altogether.

        In any case, his arguments regarding the nature of love make a large amount of sense. To begin with, he focuses on the aspect of love that he identifies as "desire." In Socrates' estimation, one never desires something that they have. If a person already possesses something and claims that they still want it, their desire could better be restated as a preference to retain possession of that thing in the future. This insight is simultaneously subtle and powerful. Consider a wedding.
        Because a wedding is one of the greatest human declarations of love, we can easily compare Socrates' definition to determine its usefulness. If two people are choosing to get married, they are claiming that they love each other more than they love any other person in existence. This claim is followed by a commitment by each party to never depart from their companion, effectively securing the possession of the object of their desire.
       
        A second component of Socrates understanding of love incorporates an element of selflessness. This selflessness is developed as a result of recognizing beauty and desiring to see that beauty grow and develop. This too mirrors a modern understanding of love. We think of loving relationships as those in which the participants pursue meeting the needs of their partner. Regarded as purer still are those individuals who are willing to prioritize their beloved's needs above their own, acting sacrificially to make the other person better off.

        Overall, it is hard to argue with Socrates' understanding of love. Even coming to the table with a Christian worldview, there is much that is compatible. He may not be the most pedagogically polite educator of all time, but you've got to appreciate the appeal of his ideas.