If you like reading about philosophy, here’s a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me!
What is love?
Infographic: Love – History of a Concept
A timeline of the concept of love, from Plato and Aristotle, through early Christianity, courtly love and Christian mysticism, to romantic love and love towards robots.
From the ancient times to today, one question has plagued philosophers: What is love?
This question comes in many forms and guises: How can we properly define love? Is love the same as liking? If not, what is the difference between the two? Is love the same as friendship? Can love exist without friendship between the lovers? Can we love without being sexually attracted? Is Christian charity (often also called love) related to erotic love, and how? Can I truly love an animal, a country, a job or my car, or am I just misusing the word when I say these things? We talked about some of these issues in a previous post about the definition of love and another about the different kinds of love.
In this post, let’s have a look at the history of the concept of love – from the ancient times to today. Naturally, this will have to be very short, otherwise we’ll end up with something like Irving Singer’s three-volume textbook on the philosophy of love:
Singer’s book “The Nature of Love” is the standard work on the philosophy of love. A fascinating three-volume study across twenty-five centuries, it can provide years of study to a motivated reader. A rare book that is, at the same time, serious scholarship and a captivating read.
Amazon affiliate link. If you buy through this link, Daily Philosophy will get a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks!
Platonic love
“Platonic” love, as we use the word today, has little to do with Plato. Plato (428-348 BC) was the student of ancient Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BC) and teacher of Aristotle (384-322 BC), whose life we discussed here and whose philosophy we’ve also talked about earlier.
Before we talk more about Plato, it’s important to be aware that ancient Athenian love was, to a large extent, homosexual love. The Greeks, never too egalitarian (their democracy extended only to male citizens and ignored women, foreigners and a sizeable population of slaves) thought that love with women was mostly there to make children, while the purest and highest form of love is that which involves two men. Of course, opinions varied, and Alcibiades, for example, Socrates’ dashing general-lover-playboy, was also known for his …
Read the full article which is published on Daily Philosophy (external link)
