What is Love?

Topic: What is Love?

Chairman:
Robert Light

Moderator:
Spencer Sinclaire

Meetup Date:
Wednesday, November 11th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with a 15 minute break at 8:00 p.m.

Meetup Location:
Upstairs at The Bent Mast, 512 Simcoe St. Victoria, BC, V8V 1L8

Members:
If you plan to attend, please take a moment and RSVP. If your plans change and you cannot attend, to the right of your name there are three dots, please click on them and move yourself to “Not Going.” Thank you.

Quotes:
“Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.” – Voltaire

“In love, one and one are one.” - Jean-Paul Sartre

Synopsis:
The philosophy of love is a branch of social philosophy and ethics that explores the nature, definition, value, and meaning of love. Rather than viewing love strictly as a biological urge or fleeting emotion, philosophers examine it as an intentional practice, a moral duty, a psychological union, or a force shaping human identity.

Core Historical Types of Love (Ancient Greek Tradition)

Western philosophy heavily traces its understanding of love to the ancient Greeks, who categorized it into distinct forms:

• Eros: Passionate, romantic, or erotic love driven by desire, aesthetic beauty, and an intense longing for union. Plato viewed eros as a stepping stone that can elevate the soul from physical attraction up to the contemplation of universal truth and transcendental beauty.

• Philia: Affectionate, dispassionate love rooted in deep friendship, loyalty, and shared virtue. Aristotle emphasized philia as a symmetrical, mutually beneficial bond categorized into friendships of utility, pleasure, or true character.

• Agape: Universal, unconditional, and self-giving love that extends outward to all human beings or the divine without requiring reciprocity.

Major Philosophical Theories

Philosophers approach what love actually is through several key frameworks:

• The Union View: Love is the merging of two distinct identities or concerns into a shared "we," where partners adopt each other's interests as their own.

• The Robust Concern View: Love is a volitional (conscious) commitment to care for another person's well-being simply for their own sake, as articulated by thinkers like Harry Frankfurt.

• The Valuing View: Love is an appraisal of someone's intrinsic dignity or the active bestowal of special value onto a unique individual.

• Love as an Active Practice: Modern and existential philosophers—such as Erich Fromm, J. David Velleman, and Simone de Beauvoir—argue that love is not a passive emotion that simply "happens" to you. Instead, it is an intentional skill, a discipline of deep attention, and a choice to support another person's freedom and flourishing.

Key Debates in the Philosophy of Love

• Is love rational or irrational? Some thinkers view love as a logical response to a person's admirable qualities, while others see it as an irrational, overriding force that defies objective reason.

• The Problem of Fungibility: If you love someone because of their traits (kindness, humor, intelligence), does that mean they could theoretically be replaced by someone who possesses those same traits to a higher degree? Philosophers debate how love attaches to the irreplaceable particulars of a person.

• Self-Love vs. Impartiality: Ethics questions where our moral duty lies—whether true love requires partiality toward specific loved ones or an impartial, universal care for all of humanity.

Watch: "Kierkegaard on Love," on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9oIDVxTHsUA?si=YwAgs7vX_pfSvc8T