God's grace

I got 96% in my first ever assignment here. Nice. Lecturer was impressed. Here's my paper:

Reaction Paper 1
PHILOSOPHY

PLATONIC LOVE

Lecturer: Curtis Reed

Submitted: 22nd September 2007

---

I’ve been using the term ‘platonic love’ all my life, but it never really struck me that it might have something to do with Plato until Plato became a subject matter during this first year Philosophy class here. This is probably because of the way it is pronounced – pla-tonic love, with the emphasis on the second syllable, rather than plato-nic love, which would sound quite flat.

So I set out with a twofold objective: is platonic love connected to the iconic figure Plato in any way? And, if so, is platonic love as we generally understand it congruent with Plato’s views on love? (The assumption being that, as a philosopher, Plato had an opinion on every major subject, and since love is not the kind of subject matter that would be considered trivial, then he had to have had something to say about it.)

One reason why it would be interesting to find out what Plato’s views were on this subject is because the term ‘platonic love’ is an oxymoron of sorts, a seemingly contradictory juxtaposition of ideas, because heterosexual love is normally deemed to be infused with sexual undercurrents, and is seemingly inconceivable outside of this perspective. If indeed Plato coined the term (or the idea), then his views on the subject might shed some light on whether ‘platonic love’ is realistic or simply idealistic and ephemereal.

In modern times, the terms platonic love and platonic relationship have come to mean a relationship between individuals of the opposite sex, marked by the absence of physical romance or sex. This philosophical treatment of love supposedly transcends a variety of theories of sex and gender. Is this in tandem with what Plato believed?

Plato’s views on love are expounded in depth in his writings Phaedrus and Symposium. In these writings, Plato defines love as “desire for the perpetual possession of the good.” [1] He expounds on this by asserting that to love beauty is to wish to bring forth in beauty. To possess it perpetually would be to re-create it endlessly. Consequently, love must by its very nature be the love of immortality as well as of the Beautiful. Two key concepts that stand out here. The first is the desire to possess, implying that human nature is acquisitive. The second is that love and immortality are related concepts.

According to one commentator: “In Plato’s view the nature of the human being is double, an unstable composition of body and soul, each governed by contrary impulses. Each part struggles to move the human being in its own direction, both impelled by the dictates of love, but love for different kinds of objects. The body allows carnal temptations to drag it down to the mire of sensuality. The soul wants to move upward towards its home among the eternal Forms. The latter cares only about the achievement of excellence, through a pure, noble, spiritual relationship that enables both lover and beloved to improve in the search for virtue. Yet human nature finds it easier to follow the lure of the flesh.” [2] On this basis, in Phaedrus, Plato defines love as a divine release, what happens when the enlightened spirit finally wrenches itself from the debasing but pervasive influence of the body, and gains freedom and true sanity. This seems to imply that sexual love is of a lower order, and that there exists a love of a higher order, one that transcends mere desire for the acquisition of and association with outward beauty.

As I thought about this, I happened to be in a discussion where favorite movies were being contemplated and discussed. Three of my favorite movies of all time are Shawshank Redemption, The Man Without a Face and Save the Last Dance. I realized as the discussion wore on that there is an underlying theme in these movies that might seem to tie in with the idea of platonic love. All three movies are about unlikely ‘platonic’ friendships.

In Shawshank Redemption, the plot depicts the story of a man called Andy - his twenty years in the cruelty of Shawshank State Prison, a fictional penitentiary in Maine, and his friendship with Red, a fellow inmate, which forms, strengthens and lasts beyond the duration of confinement within the prison walls. The driving themes of this movie are hope and friendship - the triumph of friendship involving an unlikely pairing that endures. The fact that it has been ranked among the greatest movies of all time - (it is the highest rated film on Yahoo! Movies by Yahoo! users and is listed second on the all-time greatest film list on the Internet Movie Database) - would seem to imply that there is a yearning in all of us for the type of friendship or love that transcends mere physical attraction.

The Man Without A Face tells the story of a young boy who lives in a highly dysfunctional family. His mother is well-meaning but totally incompetent as a mother and the boy's father is absent. The family spends its summers on an island (off the coast of Maine), where it owns a small cottage. Here, the boy meets a mysterious recluse with a disfigured face living in a huge house overlooking the ocean. Rumors abound about this man’s past, and one rumor has it that the recluse was once a teacher, so the boy tries to engage the recluse as a tutor. The recluse rejects the idea, but the boy is persistent. The recluse relents and becomes a strict taskmaster and excellent teacher. Somewhere along the line, a friendship is formed that transcends the usual societal barriers. This movie depicts the possibilities of this kind of friendship very beautifully.

In the movie Save the Last Dance, Sara, a teenager who happens to be a talented ballet dancer auditions for the famous Julliard School. After her audition, she discovers that her mother, in her haste to make it to the audition on time, dies in a tragic car accident on her way. Blaming herself for her mother's death, Sara gives up ballet. Her life changes and she enrols in a predominantly black high school, where she is befriended by fellow student, Chanelle, a single mom with a hunky, intelligent brother, Derek, who is bound for Georgetown University and hopes to one day become a doctor. Through her blossoming relationship with Derek, Sara begins to dance again. It is through his encouragement and nurturing that she regains the confidence to follow her dream and audition once again for Julliard. It is also through his commitment to Sara that Derek renews his commitment to his ideals and finds the courage to tell his gangsta wannabe friend that he wants no further involvement in his friend's nefarious activities. I ‘saved’ the movie Save the last dance for last because I believe it encompasses the ideals of plato-nic love in its truest sense, i.e. in the sense that Plato intended. That is because this movie engenders the idea of romantic love, but over and above that it emphasizes the idea of Plato-nic love. In this movie, physical attraction exists between the two main characters, but in addition, a love that is actually the sublimation of sexual urges into other forms of desire and attraction is portrayed, love that looks beyond physical bodies to pure thoughts and intellectual stimulation.

In the Bible, I Samuel 18-20 focuses on the friendship of David and Jonathan. In these chapters, Jonathan, the eldest son of Saul, is struck with love for David on their first meeting, and we read: "And it came to pass, when he [David] had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." (1 Sam. 18:1)… That same day, "Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul" (1 Sam. 18:3). These two men truly cared for each other and had great trust and confidence in one another. This is a great example of platonic friendship, where love is not just the absence of sexual feelings, but the presence of a deep sense of loyalty, shared commitment and values, and a deep sense of kinship.

In my own journey through life, I have discovered a deep sense of fulfillment in friendships that emphasized the spiritual and intellectual spheres of life. Two of the best friendships I have experienced have been entirely non-romantic, but deeply satisfying. These friendships were not physical, but were characterized by being more emotional and intellectual than passionate. They involved recognition or familiarity with each other's personality. We shared likes and dislikes, interests and pursuits. There was a mutual desire for companionship, a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life. We shared thoughts and feelings in an open, honest atmosphere, without fear of judgment or negative criticism. All this took place without any allusion to physical attraction.

This quest was enlightening in the sense that I understand now that, while the modern concept of platonic love omits certain dimension of Plato’s theory of love, it does preserve some of its truth. In fact, French scholars found it helpful to distinguish between amour platonique (the concept of non-sexual love) and amour platonicien (love according to Plato). Plato did not teach that love should lack an erotic dimension, but rather that the longing for Beauty and the Good should be both its foundation and ultimate aim. Having acknowledged that erotic desire magnetizes and energizes love relationships, he countered that it is wiser for this eros to not be sexually expressed, but instead be redirected into the intellectual and emotional spheres. I believe some of the lines from the tune “If I Didn't Care”, performed by the Inkspots, expresses this idea simply but poignantly, somewhat alluding to Plato’s definition of love as ‘divine madness’:

If I didn't care, more than words can say,
If I didn't care, would I feel this way,
If this isn't love, then why do I thrill
And what makes my head go round and round
While my heart stands still...


----

His comments: This is a tremendous effort and extremely well written! Very interesting topic also, one that I've never considered. I'm not sure if you needed to spend so much time on the 3 movies, but they aided your essay, ultimately. I even want to watch "Man w/o a Face'. Thank you! 96

----

I am so very greatly encouraged by this. Looks like the worst of times also bring the greatest blessings. September was the worst month so far this year ... major falling out with CN, worst fight ever with d, no income, etc