The Routledge Handbook of Love in Philosophy

Description

The Routledge Handbook of Love in Philosophy collects 39 original chapters from prominent philosophers on the nature, meaning, value, and predicaments of love, presented in a unique framework that highlights the rich variety of methods and traditions used to engage with these subjects. This volume is structured around important realms of human life and activity, each of which receives its own section: I. Family and Friendship II. Romance and Sex III. Politics and Society IV. Animals, Nature, and the Environment V. Art, Faith, and Meaning VI. Rationality and Morality VII. Traditions: Historical and Contemporary. This last section includes chapters treating love as a subject in both Western and non-Western philosophical traditions. The contributions, all appearing in print here for the first time, are written to be accessible and compelling to non-philosophers and philosophers alike; and the volume as a whole encourages professional philosophers, teachers, students, and lay readers to rethink standard constructions of philosophical canons Cover ......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Series Page......Page 3 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 6 Notes on Contributors......Page 10 Introduction......Page 16 Diotima’s Ascent......Page 17 Is Carnal Love an Obstacle to the Achievement of Virtue?......Page 18 Is Partial, Attached Love in Tension with Obligations of Impartiality?......Page 20 Does Love Perceive Value?......Page 22 Could Love Be the Keystone of Moral Theory or Practice?......Page 23 Conclusion......Page 24 Part I: Family and Friendship......Page 26 Chapter 1: Love and Friendship......Page 28 I T he Best of Friends......Page 29 II False Belief and Love......Page 32 III T he Opacity of Persons and the Risks of Friendship......Page 35 References......Page 36 Attachment in Infancy and Adult Romantic Partnerships......Page 38 Attachment and Love: Important Differences......Page 40 Security and Agency: A Role for Attachment in Love......Page 41 Attachment and the Capacity to Love......Page 43 Notes......Page 45 References......Page 47 Chapter 3: “Mama, Do You Love Me?” A Defense of Unloving Parents......Page 50 The Many Faces of Love......Page 51 Unloving Father......Page 52 Unloving Mother 2......Page 53 Unloving Mother 3......Page 54 Unloving Mother 4......Page 55 Unloving Mother 5......Page 56 Reasons for Loving or Not Loving One’s Children......Page 57 Conclusion: On Loving Less or Badly......Page 59 References......Page 60 Prenatal Selection as a Failure to Love the Embryo......Page 62 Prenatal Selection as a Failure to Love the Born Child......Page 64 Prenatal Selection as a Failure to Love Other Children......Page 68 Conclusion......Page 71 References......Page 72 Part II: Romance and Sex......Page 74 Love and Sex: What’s the Connection?......Page 76 Romantic Commitments and Lovers’ Anxieties......Page 78 The Future of Love......Page 82 Notes......Page 85 Introduction......Page 87 Disputing Love......Page 89 Operative and Manifest Concepts; Conceptual and Ameliorative Analyses......Page 94 Notes......Page 95 References......Page 96 Chapter 7: The Normative Potency of Sexually Exclusive Love......Page 98 The Puzzle of Committed Sexual Exclusivity......Page 99 First Purported Solution: Sexual Exclusivity Has Instrumental Value......Page 100 Second Purported Solution: Sexual Exclusivity and Inclinations......Page 102 A Successful Solution: The Value of Sexually Exclusive Love as Sui Generis......Page 105 References......Page 107 Chapter 8: Queer Bodies and Queer Love......Page 108 The Queer Body......Page 109 Queer Shame and Self-Loveas Therapy......Page 111 Platonic Love and the Myth of the Other Half......Page 113 Sex and Personhood......Page 115 Fetishism and the Dangers of Depersonalization......Page 116 Acknowledgments......Page 117 References......Page 118 Videos and Films......Page 119 Chapter 9: Plato on Love and Sex......Page 120 Two Kinds of Love; Three Kinds of Lovers......Page 121 The Sex Question......Page 125 Conclusion: Are Platonic Lovers Just Friends?......Page 127 Notes......Page 128 References......Page 129 Further Reading......Page 130 Chapter 10: Eros and Agape in Interpersonal Relationships: Plato, Emerson, and Peirce......Page 131 Eros as Desiring-Lovein Plato’s Symposium......Page 132 Emerson’s Romantic Love......Page 137 Peirce’s Agape......Page 139 References......Page 141 Further Reading......Page 142 Chapter 11: Threats, Warnings, and Relationship Ultimatums......Page 143 References......Page 152 Part III: Politics and Society......Page 154 Introduction......Page 156 The Modern Marriage Contract and the Emergence of Marital Love......Page 157 Early Critiques of Marriage: Wollstonecraft, Fuller, and Mill......Page 160 Early Twentieth-Century Radicalism: Goldman and Russell......Page 163 Strong Skepticism about Love: de Beauvoir, Firestone, Kipnis......Page 165 Concluding Remarks: Reclaiming Love and Rethinking Marriage......Page 169 References......Page 170 Agape Love......Page 172 Moral Anger......Page 175 The Compatibility Argument......Page 176 Moral Anger as an Expression of Agape Love......Page 179 References......Page 182 Reconciliation......Page 184 Political Reconciliation......Page 186 Love......Page 189 References......Page 193 Chapter 15: The Morning Stars Will Sing Together: Compassion, Nonviolence, and the Revolution of the Heart......Page 195 I. Reasonableness, Responsiveness, Asymmetry......Page 196 II. The Journey of Conviction......Page 197 III. Life as Sacred and as Gift......Page 200 IV. Nonviolence and Memory......Page 204 References......Page 205 Part IV: Animals, Nature, and the Environment......Page 206 Introduction......Page 208 Love as Attention......Page 209 Un-Selfing......Page 210 Human Humility......Page 213 Letting Go......Page 214 Conclusion: Animal Ethics, Difference and Holism......Page 216 Notes......Page 218 References......Page 219 Love, Otherness, and the Apprehension of Reality......Page 220 Thoreau, the Loving Naturalist......Page 222 Conclusion......Page 226 References......Page 228 What Does It Mean to “Love”?......Page 230 What Does It Mean to Be “Green”?......Page 232 What Happens to Life Without Love?......Page 233 Why Is Love Necessary to Protect Life?......Page 235 What Would It Mean to Cultivate Human Love for the Web of Life? Can It Be Done?......Page 237 Conclusion......Page 238 References......Page 239 Part V: Art, Faith, and Meaning......Page 242 Love and Beauty......Page 244 Disinterested Beauty......Page 245 Beauty, Love, and Lust......Page 248 Mixed Sentiments......Page 250 Postscript: Since the Eighteenth Century......Page 253 Notes......Page 254 Chapter 20: Love Songs......Page 257 References......Page 265 The Nature of Love......Page 267 The Threats of Love......Page 268 Neighborly Love......Page 269 Resignation......Page 271 Faith......Page 273 Love in the Structure of Faith......Page 274 Love as Conditioned by Faith......Page 275 Notes......Page 276 References......Page 278 Love Is Not Love That Alters When It Alteration Finds......Page 279 How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways......Page 280 Love, So Wrought, May Be Unwrought So......Page 282 Only God, My Dear, Could Love You for Yourself Alone......Page 284 For One Is Both and Both Are One in Love......Page 285 The Scent of Bitter Almonds......Page 287 References......Page 288 Part VI: Rationality and Morality......Page 290 Love......Page 292 The No-Reasons-For-Love View......Page 293 The Quality View......Page 295 The Hybrid View......Page 296 A-Rational Love......Page 297 Rational Love......Page 299 Hybrid Love......Page 300 References......Page 301 Introduction......Page 303 A Well-Known Problem for Consequentialism......Page 304 Love Versus Morality: Against the Overridingness Thesis......Page 306 Love Versus Morality: Morality Is Everywhere......Page 308 Beyond the Conflict......Page 309 Notes......Page 313 References......Page 314 Chapter 25: Love and Agency......Page 315 I Love as an Active Verb......Page 316 II But I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You......Page 317 III Rejecting a Concatenation Approach......Page 321 Notes......Page 323 References......Page 326 Chapter 26: Love, Practical Reasons, and African Philosophy......Page 328 “One Thought Too Many”......Page 329 Western and African Ethical Theories......Page 330 African Ethics and the Conflict between Partiality and Impartiality......Page 331 The Common Good......Page 335 Communal Love and Individualistic Love......Page 337 References......Page 338 Chapter 27: Love and Moral Structures: How Love Can Reshape Ethical Theory......Page 340 How Love Can Shape Morality’s Meta-Theory......Page 341 Love as Key to Social and Political Theory: A Snapshot of Racism......Page 346 Some Relevant Texts......Page 347 Prologue......Page 348 Anti-Subjectivism......Page 349 Self-Defense......Page 350 Love......Page 351 Necessity......Page 352 Universality......Page 353 Rationality......Page 354 Realism......Page 356 Epilogue......Page 357 References......Page 358 Opposites......Page 359 Broad Notions of Love and Hatred......Page 361 Love and Hatred: Analogues......Page 362 The Normative Status of Love and Hatred......Page 364 Conceptions of a Good Human Life......Page 366 Notes......Page 368 References......Page 370 Part VII: Traditions: Historical and Contemporary......Page 372 Ren and Love in the Early Confucian Tradition......Page 374 The Mencian Conception of the Cognitive and Affective Beginnings of Virtue......Page 375 The Interaction of Feeling and Reflecting in Growth of the Moral Sprouts......Page 376 Conflict Between Duties to Family and Duties to Those Outside the Family......Page 377 The Complex Relationship Between Family Duties and Duties to Humanity......Page 380 Daoist Connection to All Things in the World......Page 382 Attachment and Loss......Page 383 Notes......Page 384 References......Page 385 Introduction......Page 386 Explication and Four Basic Moral Theories Including Love......Page 388 Love: Meditation and Intimacy......Page 391 Notes......Page 395 References......Page 396 Chapter 32: Love in the Jewish Tradition......Page 397 God’s Love......Page 399 The Rabbinic Tradition: Requiting God’s Love by Loving Our Fellows......Page 400 Maimonides and Love of God as an Intellectual Endeavor......Page 403 Intellectual Love and Moral Virtue......Page 406 Notes......Page 408 References......Page 409 Introduction......Page 410 Looking for Love in Islamic Philosophy......Page 411 The Love of Learning: Abu Bakr al-Razi......Page 413 The Love of Politics: Abu Nasr Farabi......Page 414 The Essence and Existence of Love: Ibn Sina......Page 416 For the Love of God: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali......Page 417 Love Illuminated: Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi......Page 419 Conclusion......Page 421 References......Page 422 Chapter 34: Three Models of Christian Love: Platonic, Aristotelian, and Kantian......Page 424 Christian Interpretations of Platonism......Page 425 Christian Interpretations of Platonic Love......Page 427 Christian Interpretations of Aristotle......Page 428 Christian Interpretations of Aristotelian Love......Page 429 A Paradigm of the Modern Enlightenment Era: Kantian Christianity......Page 431 Kantian Love......Page 433 Notes......Page 434 References......Page 435 Further Reading......Page 436 The Religious Renovators......Page 437 Malebranche......Page 438 Charron and Ferrand......Page 440 Descartes......Page 441 Spinoza......Page 443 Hedonistic Concepts of Love......Page 445 Voltaire......Page 446 La Mettrie......Page 447 Mary Astell......Page 448 Damaris Masham......Page 449 Mary Wollstonecraft......Page 452 Conclusion......Page 453 References......Page 454 Hegel: Love Unifies......Page 456 Kierkegaard: Love Edifies......Page 459 Schopenhauer: Love Hurts, but Loving Kindness Heals......Page 462 Nietzsche: Love Affirms......Page 463 References......Page 466 Chapter 37: (The varieties of ) love in contemporary Anglophone philosophy......Page 468 Irreplaceability, Constancy, and Reasons for Love......Page 469 Quality Views and Wrong Kinds of Reasons......Page 470 Agapic Love......Page 471 Loving Attachment......Page 472 Reactive Love......Page 473 Aesthetic Love......Page 475 Aspirational Love......Page 476 Conclusion......Page 477 References......Page 478 Introduction......Page 480 Why Do People Fall in Love?......Page 481 Love as an Emotion......Page 483 Triangular Theories of Love......Page 485 Love as Attachment......Page 486 Love and Psychoanalysis......Page 489 Conclusion......Page 490 References......Page 491 Index......Page 494