The document discusses different perspectives on defining and categorizing love. It explores whether there are distinct types of love or if love is a universal concept. Some key distinctions made include:
- Distinguishing types of love based on their objects (people, ideas), basis (desire, care), or effects (desire for union, possession)
- Whether love arises from initially valuing qualities in the beloved (eros) or if the love creates the perception of the beloved's value (agape)
- Debates around which types of love may be more justified or constant, and difficulties defining a single "essence" of love given its many forms.
The document discusses different perspectives on defining and categorizing love. It explores whether there are distinct types of love or if love is a universal concept. Some key distinctions made include:
- Distinguishing types of love based on their objects (people, ideas), basis (desire, care), or effects (desire for union, possession)
- Whether love arises from initially valuing qualities in the beloved (eros) or if the love creates the perception of the beloved's value (agape)
- Debates around which types of love may be more justified or constant, and difficulties defining a single "essence" of love given its many forms.
The document discusses different perspectives on defining and categorizing love. It explores whether there are distinct types of love or if love is a universal concept. Some key distinctions made include:
- Distinguishing types of love based on their objects (people, ideas), basis (desire, care), or effects (desire for union, possession)
- Whether love arises from initially valuing qualities in the beloved (eros) or if the love creates the perception of the beloved's value (agape)
- Debates around which types of love may be more justified or constant, and difficulties defining a single "essence" of love given its many forms.
Varieties of Love: What is Love? proposes methodology to look for what is or isnt love: One methodology we can apply in seeking an answer is this: if a claim or theory about love implies that many cases of what we ordinarily call love arent love, that is a reason (not necessarily decisive) for denying the claim or theory (p. 11) Varieties of Love: What is Love? example: love lasts forever as long as both lover and beloved are alive do you think this is true? Varieties of Love: What is Love? Varieties of Love: What is Love? concept of love: like concept of a work of art source: wolpics.com Varieties of Love: What is Love? problem with concept of love (and art): are there distinct kinds of love, or is love love, common in all cases? e.g., Fromms six types Varieties of Love: What is Love? if there are different kinds there are different ways to distinguish e.g., objects, basis, causal effects, etc. Varieties of Love: What is Love? distinguishing loves by their objects: We love our spouses, parents, siblings, children, friends, pets, country, abstract ideals, God, geometrical theorems, personal belongings, food, movies, books, and nature (p. 12) love for parents love for pizza love for Canada Varieties of Love: What is Love? distinguishing loves by their basis: desiring love, as in erotic love? friendly love? benevolent love, based in goodwill and giving? Varieties of Love: What is Love? distinguishing loves by their causal effects: Loves can also be differentiated by their typical causal effects, whether a love causes a desire to benefit the beloved, or causes a desire for union with the beloved, or causes a desire to possess the beloved (p. 12) Varieties of Love: What is Love? English: only one noun, love qualified with adjectives source: revpaulbeedle.wordpress.com Varieties of Love: Love and Value relationship between loving and valuing Do we love something because we find value in it, or do we find value in it because we love it? (p.12) what do you think? Varieties of Love: Love and Value think of someone/thing you love 1) do you love that thing or person because it/he/she has features you find valuable or attractive? or 2) do you think that thing/person has valuable or attractive features because you love it/him/her? general question for many emotions (incl. hate, fear, anger, admiration) Varieties of Love: Love and Value relation 1: eros-type (e-type)
relation 2: agape-type (a-type) source: shelf3d.com Varieties of Love: Love and Value In eros-type love, the value of Y, the object of love, exists first. Then Xs love for Y arises as a response to this antecedent value (p. 13) Aristotle: No one falls in love who has not first derived pleasure from the looks of the beloved agree? Varieties of Love: Love and Value e-type love means that if X loves Y because Y has a valuable set of properties P, we can expect X to love someone else (say, Z) who also exhibits P (p. 13) translation? Varieties of Love: Love and Value In agape-type love, the love exists first. Then the value of the beloved, as far as it figures into love, comes into existence (p. 13) may not be able to explain exactly the origin of love itself, but its the independent variable Varieties of Love: Love and Value mixing of the two? Suppose that some value V1 in Y exists first, and X loves Y because of V1. The love is based on, explained by, V1. However, in virtue of loving Y, X attributes other values, V2, to Y. This aspect of Xs love for Y is a-type. But Xs love is essentially e-type, because X attributing V2 to Y and Xs love for Y are both explained by Xs response to V1. These cases would be a-type only if Xs love was not grounded in V1, or other valuable properties of Y (p. 13) Varieties of Love: Love and Value source: uglyswag.com Varieties of Love: Evaluating and Assessing Love which is better: e-type or a-type love? Varieties of Love: Evaluating and Assessing Love Perhaps e-type love is preferable, because it encourages X to discover (by self-reflection) why X selects Y and not Z to love. Lovers are commonly called on to justify loving a particular person; even the beloved might press the lover with why me? X must provide Y (and the unloved Z) with a more convincing reason than thats the way I feel or I dunno, just do (or just dont) (p. 19) Varieties of Love: Evaluating and Assessing Love Proponents of a-type love think it is better to love without a reason, than with a reason. Why? Perhaps a-type love is constant [unlike values, attributes, or properties] (p. 19) is it better for ones love or lack of love not to be based on specific reasons? Varieties of Love: Evaluating and Assessing Love other issue with e-type: our belief that the object of our love has lovable qualities may be skewed/false source: ripplen.deviantart.com Varieties of Love: Evaluating and Assessing Love difference between love and infatuation or desire? another example: hate is love a special emotion, different from the others? Varieties of Love: The Fine Gold Thread does love have a common ingredient the fine gold thread? Does love have a central ingredient (C)? C would be common to all loves, not only to all instances of one type of love but all types of love, period (p. 22) what might this central ingredient be? Varieties of Love: The Fine Gold Thread would have to be something significant and unique to love C must provide a way to distinguish love not only from things that are wildly different from it (dogs, meatballs) but also from things that are close to love but are either pretenders or associated phenomena (infatuation, respect, admiration, sexual desire) (p. 22) Varieties of Love: The Fine Gold Thread problem: many varieties of love, many exceptions to general rules e.g., if we say the common ingredient is caring for the wellbeing of the beloved, it wouldnt make sense to say that a child loves its mother e.g., if the common ingredient is forming a unitive bond this might make sense of a child loving its mother, but not of a child loving its mothers milk
What is Real Love? Researched and Answered!: Ohio Wesleyan University Student Researcher and Retired First Energy Employee/Attorney Former Pittsburgh National Bank Trust Legal Officer Solves the LOVE DEFINITION -- THE LOVE FEELINGS!