The Nature of Love

We cannot talk about the true meaning of love without examining its nature. In understanding its nature we must discern whether love is an emotion or a state of the mind, a psychological affliction or even a theological expression. The deeply cerebral Greeks developed a comprehensive philosophy on all aspects of Human existence including the expressions of love. In Greek socio-philosophy there are 3 major expressions of “love”; agape, phillia and Eros. Agape is a holy and divine aspect of love that men show to the Supreme Being. It is unconditional and the type preached by most religions. Philia entails a fondness and loyalty to friends, family and to the community. Eros is the aspect of love that has to do with sensual desires; it is the root for the modern expression erotic. There is often a misconception in current thought that these three aspects of love are distinct and unrelated. This mentality stems from a vain Romance culture present in arts and literature. Even the nature of erotic love is generally misunderstood.

Plato’s symposium presents a great starting point for the understanding of the nature of love. The summary of the symposium is that love is an intrinsically higher value than appetitive or physical desire. Physical desire they note is held in common with the animal kingdom. In Plato’s opinion Eros is held to be a common desire that seeks transcendental beauty- the particular beauty of an individual reminds us of the true beauty that exists in creation. From this we can deduce that Eros within the enlightened Greek culture was not merely physical or sensual as we reduce it today. Aristotle in Nicomachean ethics writes that “things that cause friendship are doing kindness; doing them unasked and not proclaiming the fact when they are done”. He goes on to add that Love cannot emanate from people who are quarrelsome, gossips, aggressive in manner personality and those who are unjust. The best characters, it follows, can produce the best kind of friendship and hence love. The most rational person therefore is the most capable of love. These theses are in line with the theological understanding of love. The major religions believe that love is a gift from God, the intelligent designer of the universe and all in it. This buttresses the position of the philosophers that love is an act of the higher cognitive order. If love then is a product of higher cognitive faculties, why do people fall in love? This shall form the basis for the next part of the love series.