Christian Idea of Agape and Plato's Eros: Distinct and Contradicted
Anders Nygren claims that Christian idea of agape and Plato’s eros are distinct and contradicted with each other. Although they are different kind of love, I believe they are not really contradicted with each other and can unite together. The following paragraphs will talk about the content of Agape and Eros first, and then discuss the possibility of the unity of them in different perspectives.
The term Eros is used to refer to that part of love constituting a passionate, intense desire for something; it is often referred to as a sexual desire. In Plato‘s writings however, Eros is held to be a common desire that seeks transcendental beauty-the particular beauty of an individual reminds us of true beauty that exists in the world of Forms or Ideas (Phaedrus 249E: “he who loves the beautiful is called a lover because he partakes of it.” Trans. Jowett). The Platonic-Socratic position maintains that the love we generate for beauty on this earth can never be truly satisfied until we die; but in the meantime we should aspire beyond the particular stimulating image in front of us to the contemplation of beauty in itself.
The implication of Eros is that ideal beauty, which is reflected in the particular images of beauty we find, becomes interchangeable across people and things, ideas, and art: to love is to love the Platonic form of beauty-not a particular individual, but the element they posses of ideal beauty.
Agape refers to the paternal love of God for man and of man for God but is extended to include a brotherly love for all humanity. Agape arguably draws on elements from both Eros and Philia in that it seeks a perfect kind of love that is at once a fondness, a transcending of the particular, and a passion without the necessity of reciprocity.
Also, Agape means love in a "spiritual" sense, it often refers to a general affection or deeper sense of "true unconditional love" rather than the attraction suggested by Eros. This love is selfless; it gives and
The term Eros is used to refer to that part of love constituting a passionate, intense desire for something; it is often referred to as a sexual desire. In Plato‘s writings however, Eros is held to be a common desire that seeks transcendental beauty-the particular beauty of an individual reminds us of true beauty that exists in the world of Forms or Ideas (Phaedrus 249E: “he who loves the beautiful is called a lover because he partakes of it.” Trans. Jowett). The Platonic-Socratic position maintains that the love we generate for beauty on this earth can never be truly satisfied until we die; but in the meantime we should aspire beyond the particular stimulating image in front of us to the contemplation of beauty in itself.
The implication of Eros is that ideal beauty, which is reflected in the particular images of beauty we find, becomes interchangeable across people and things, ideas, and art: to love is to love the Platonic form of beauty-not a particular individual, but the element they posses of ideal beauty.
Agape refers to the paternal love of God for man and of man for God but is extended to include a brotherly love for all humanity. Agape arguably draws on elements from both Eros and Philia in that it seeks a perfect kind of love that is at once a fondness, a transcending of the particular, and a passion without the necessity of reciprocity.
Also, Agape means love in a "spiritual" sense, it often refers to a general affection or deeper sense of "true unconditional love" rather than the attraction suggested by Eros. This love is selfless; it gives and