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| | [[Image:Watteau Peaceful Love.jpg|right|300px|Watteau Peaceful Love]] | | [[Image:Watteau Peaceful Love.jpg|right|300px|Watteau Peaceful Love]] |
| − | '''Love''' does not exist. | + | '''Love''' is one of the basic emotions, decribed as an extreme affection for a person, an object, an idea, a country, a friend or a family member. Love is used to describe affection for many different things, but can sometimes be misinterpreted for [[Lust]]. |
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| | + | Many faiths, such as Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, etc., believe [[love]] to be a positive trait, and the followers of these religions are asked to practice love for others as a general principle for a good life. |
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| | + | == The Five Grecian Forms == |
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| | + | The ancient Greeks identified four forms of positive love: |
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| | + | * [[Philos]] - the love of close friends or brothers. [[Aristotle]] identifies several types of philos <ref>Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII</ref> which can include utility as well as shared characteristics and values. The word is often attached to groups of people who share a love of a common pursuit. |
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| | + | * [[Storge]] - the love of [[family]]. This would include [[patriotism]] - the love of country or homeland. |
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| | + | * [[Eros]] - carnal or sexual love. This would include [[romantic love]] but would also include [[lust]]. [[Eros]] is intended by God, as laid down in the Bible, to be enjoyed between a married man and woman. |
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| | + | * [[Agape]] - love which seeks the highest good of others, not just friends, family or brothers, but including enemies.<ref> Matthew 5:44</ref> This is considered by all major world religions to be the highest kind of love, although [[Buddhism]] would regard it as [[compassion]]. |
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| | + | The fifth form of love is called [[Narcissism]], or self love. This word comes from the [[Greek myth]] of [[Narcissus]], who fell in love with his own reflection. Although [[Freud]] considered that everybody has some degree of narcissism, and that this is present in us from birth, <ref>Freud, Sigmund, On Narcissism: An Introduction, 1914</ref> if taken to extremes narcissism can be considered a [[personality disorder]]. |
| | + | <ref>http://www.halcyon.com/jmashmun/npd/dsm-iv.html</ref> |
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| | + | ==References== |
| | + | <references/> |
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| | + | ==See also== |
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| | + | * [[Hatred]], considered the opposite of love |
| | + | [[category:religion]][[category:culture]][[category:philosophy]][[category:sociology]] |
| | + | [[Category:Sexuality]][[Category:Attributes of God]] |