Philosophical Analysis of Love, Essay Example

What exactly does love entail? How does love relate to friendship? Does genuine love equal true friendship? Are the two concepts mutually exclusive or inclusive?

The concept of love in the philosophical understanding tends to capture the minds of different scholars. Fundamentally, the feeling of love lacks an elaborate understanding for many people. This makes it difficult to develop a classical view of how people in love feel or behave. Nonetheless, a general understanding of love establishes it as a fundamental aspect, whose close scrutiny reveals it as an element requiring attention. When looking at the philosophical perspectives of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, it becomes easy to focus on unraveling what encompasses love, its relationship to friendship, and the exclusive nature of the two concepts in their manifestation.

The development of a critical analysis of the philosophical viewpoints on love takes into consideration the theory of personal identity. In essence, this theory tries to exemplify issues relating to the human existence. This, in totality, gives the ideal identify of an individual over time. Following this discovery, then human beings assume relevant conditions attaching them to the affective element. Without the personal identity bearing, self-discovery might not come into perspective. What this then brings out is that love and affection operate on a whole new level, where life becomes a medium of consideration for what takes place in people’s hearts.

The theory of personal identity tries to offer an elaborate explanation concerning how things in the lives of individuals run. The unending theme of love becomes operative in the individuals lives, which might or might not remain in their lives forever. Apparently, the focus of the theory seeks to bring into perspective the understanding that human beings lives are not mutually exclusive. Certain aspects such as emotions tend to become part of what makes them whole beings in their individual capacities. Therefore, the theory becomes a crucial aspect of self-discovery for those who would love to lead fulfilling lives.

To start off this analysis of the love and friendship elements is the focus on Plato’s Symposium. Whereas the reading touches on diverse elements, the primary focus is the love construct in the society. In the understanding of what it entails, it remains a strong sense of attraction affecting both male and female (Warner, 1979). This is irrespective of whether there are outside forces trying to influence the nature of love existing between two individuals.

In Plato’s Symposium, it emerges that there are diverse perspectives on love. For instance, Plato tends to reject the idea of romanticizing sexual love. The concept of romance does not arise out of the blues. Instead, culturing the feelings that pervade one is what contributes to the unending love that one professes (Warner, 1979). Even then, romanticizing love does not justify any feeling. Individuals should not associate the feeling of love to sex. This would be the wrong idea of what love entails. In any case, it remains fundamental to offer love as opposed to sex where there is mutual understanding. Nonetheless, the question that arises, in this case, is on the rightfulness of tagging love along without the association of the sexual part, which raises mixed feelings.

The second element under examination in Plato’s Symposium is the asexual aspect and passion for beauty and wisdom. Whether or not beauty is in itself a making of love is a question to reckon with. The way beauty and wisdom correlates, is, in its entirety, an aspect worth evaluating in depth. The association of beauty and wisdom as components in the making of a love life remains an element worth exploring in detail (Warner, 1979). It is of utmost importance trying to bring into reality the fundamental aspects contributing to the making of a love life. In many ways, human beings try to ensure that there is an understanding of what love entails in their lives.

In his escapades, Plato concludes that wisdom remains the concrete element whose search by humanity is of significance. In any case, finding love alone does not offer utmost satisfaction given its nature. Human beings have to be on the move in an endless search for wisdom that would guide them in the love escapades. In the interest of what happens in the affective world, many people have no control over love or any of the associated feelings (Warner, 1979). However, acting with intellect in any situation offers the ultimate satisfaction to an individuals. It remains essential to focus on what would contribute to one’s understanding of the self and the immediate partner through incorporating wisdom into the thinking.

Whereas Plato does not offer an understanding of friendship and its relationship to love in the Symposium, he does not in the Lysis dialogue. However, at this point, focusing on Plato’s understanding of love remains of significance in bringing out the fundamentals of the questions and creating a connection to what Plato proposes. The following section gives an analysis of the question based on what Aristotle puts forward on love and friendship.

Aristotle focuses on the understanding that both love and friendship are emotions evoking mutual feelings in the involved persons. Whereas Plato treats both love and friendship differently, a new twist emerges in Aristotle’s version (Konstan, 2008). Fundamentally, Aristotle finds himself at crossroads trying to give a convincing explanation on why friendship carries the day as opposed to love. This brings in elements trying to establish whether this emotional bearing amounts to a virtue or disposition. Socrates draws his conclusion on the association of love and friendship from the fact that friendship has a basis on affection (Konstan, 2008). Therefore, without love, then affection does not arise. This then creates a focus on the understanding of what emotions create in the interest of both love and friendship for human beings.

A critical analysis of Socrates’ idea on love reveals that the two concepts are one thing. Therefore, whether one is talking about love or friendship, feelings are involved in both. This becomes the central point in developing a critical view on the two aspects. The idea of focusing on what love entails remains an elementary step in establishing a critical viewpoint of how the two correlate. In essence, what emerges is that in love in friendship entails assisting the person while in need (Konstan, 2008). In case the help does not come handy, then the friendship is considered to not have been in existence at all. Rather, true friendship fails to pass the test of time. When love is in place, without even considering the affective element, comes along with a sense of affection and treatment that remains unmatched. However, this is considered loved when the opposite sex is involved. Aristotle does not offer a view of two individuals of the same sex being intimate.

The last analysis of love is from the Socratic point of view. In this, Socrates explores a totally new dimension of what love entails. The Socratic dialogues try to bring a new understanding of the love tale. In this, he establishes the transactional nature of relationships. This means that love was offered in exchange for sex (Obdrzalek, 2013). The sexual favors offered completed the love cycle, which remains the critical element of motivation. In doing so, Socrates tries to bring the understanding of the motivation behind the emotional bearing that human beings have in their individual standing.

The demonstration of the love phenomena by Socrates does not take into account the notion that Socrates was demonstrating the philosophical exchange with sexual favors. He practically engages in a flirting spree, allegedly to demonstrate his wisdom, being young and inexperienced (Obdrzalek, 2013). Therefore, Socrates was hoping to find an understanding of what would, in essence, contribute to his understanding of love from a certain angle. The philosophical engagement with boys was an act out of convenience to enable him become accustomed to the whole element of love. Love and motivation comes handy courtesy of what the Socratic Method demonstrates. Ideally, the essence of focusing on life is to ensure that one lives the fundamental purpose of what he is meant to be in reality. This then gives a critical view of purposeful life for one.

The primary argument that Socrates extends is that love occurs because of the favors one receives from the other. To demonstrate this, the sexual aspect sets in, where he alleges that for one person to love the other, then there is a benefit involved. In this case, a boy would love a girl because of sex and vice versa. The benefit that one needs from the other remains a central focus in establishing relationships (Obdrzalek, 2013). Therefore, people fall in love for personal passions and the associated happiness. This culminates into the fact that one does not love a person for the benefit that the loved individual would receive. Rather, the love is extended for personal sake. This gives an understanding of the whole concept of love and attraction. Friendship, by virtual of what it extends to individuals, offers some level of associated affection. Therefore, it is part of the love cycle. The sense of attraction coexisting among individuals has a correlation to beauty. This explains the ensuing abandonment, when beauty overtakes the feelings. Individuals who cannot control the self in the presence of beauty are abound to abandon their love lives for more beautiful persons.

Love is a feeling that exists both in the heart and mind. How people in love relate is exclusive to them. This does not affect other falling outside the triangle. The two individuals in love are in a position to express how they feel for each other through words and actions. The understanding of the input that each of them has in the other person’s life governs how they potentially coexist.

In the development of a hearty relationship, each person must be willing to sacrifice selflessly. This culminates into a situation where dependence on each other remains unavoidable. In love, people tend to care for the partner’s feelings as opposed to minding the self all the time. This demonstrates an understanding of what exactly love entails.

When examining friendship, it beings a feeling that many people can potentially relate to under normal circumstances. At least, everybody has a friend whom they can rely on from time-to-time. This aspect breeds a feeling, where many people tend to culture inward emotions to enable them cope with healthy friendships with time. In the interest of time, friendship matures to levels where it becomes reliable. Authenticity develops, which in reality, answers the mysteries surrounding how this feeling manifests. When looking at both love and friendship, whereas love is a feeling that develops unconditionally, friendship is natured and nurtured to maturity. True friendship requires the individuals involved to remain real to each other. Reliability for the duo is a domain whose preaching helps them interrelate peacefully. In other words, it remains

In the examination of the three accounts on love as it relates to friendship, touching on Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, there is a wholesome understanding of the concepts as each tries to establish. The focus is on the fundamental aspects that make up the building blocks of the love life that human beings undertake. Each person who chooses to fall in love does so without coercion or manipulation. The examination of friendship is integrated into the concept of love. Therefore, it is operatively importance to disqualify the element of friendship replacing with unending love courtesy of the attraction between individuals. In the interest of what should occupy the space, it remains critical to focus on love as opposed to friendship. Nonetheless, taking caution that love does not guarantee eternal happiness since abandonment may take effect any time remains fundamentally viable.

References

Konstan, D. (2008). Aristotle on love and friendship. ?????. ??????????? ????????????? ? ???????????? ????????, 2(2), 207-212.

Obdrzalek, S. (2013). Socrates on love.

Warner, M. (1979). Love, self, and Plato’s Symposium. The Philosophical Quarterly (1950), 29(117), 329-339.