The Concept of Love in Philosophy: A Comparative Study Between Plato’s Idea and Chinese Philosophy Part I: Lao Tzu and the Way (Tao)

Abstract

The concept of love plays an enormous and unavoidable role in several cultures; we find it discussed in poetry, songs, films, and novels. Love is a regular theme of maturing life and a lively theme for the adolescent. Philosophically, the nature of love has, since the time of the Ancient Greeks, been a major topic, producing theories that range from the materialistic conception of love as purely a physical phenomenon to theories of love as an intensely spiritual affair that in its highest form permits us to touch divinity. Plato’s work provides us with an influential and notion that love can be categorized by a series of elevations, extending from ‘eros’, the love of physical attributes, to ‘philia’, the love of intellectual attributes, as its highest form. In Chinese Philosophy, love manifests into many aspects. Philosophical meaning of love exists in the ancient Chinese tradition since the teaching of Lao Tzu. In his famous book, Tao Te Ching, he develops ideas of a good life based on simplicity and purity. Love and compassion also play important roles in Lao Tzu’s ideal life. In this paper, the researcher aims to examine the concept of love both from Plato’s and Lao Tzu’s thought to identify their similarities and differences.