>>24667818 (OP)
The basis for the concept of Platonic love appears more in the Phaedrus than in the Symposium, from what I remember. Basically it is erotic/romantic love that avoids sexual consummation and aims instead at cultivation of the spirit. So whereas today we use ‘platonic love’ to mean love that lacks sexual or romantic desire, more properly it refers to romantic love which avoids sensuality and instead tries to point towards a higher reality. I believe Ficino revived the concept and from there it became an ideal for Renaissance men and women to follow (rather than just between Greek males)
