Tangential: I think the “four loves” thing is a bit of a cheat, like the “fifty Eskimo words for snow” meme. The Greeks had different words for describing different kinds of positive interpersonal affect—but so do we! We have “affection” and “friendship” and “devotion” and “lust” and “loyalty” and “benevolence” and so on.
That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with noticing when one of those words (in this case “love”) gets used very broadly, and it doesn’t change the fact that “see how other people classify things” is a useful heuristic. But I am entirely unconvinced that there’s anything very special about the Ancient Greeks, or the notion of love, in this regard—other than various historical contingencies involving C S Lewis, Christianity, and the history of the New Testament.
But I am entirely unconvinced that there’s anything very special about the Ancient Greeks
Well, they were pretty special, being the cradle of the Western civilization ’n’all, but in this specific case all I intended was to give the OP a possible list of specific meanings of the word “love” to consider.
Fair point, well I don’t think romantic love is worthy of sacred status in the irrationality religion. Tough those four neither seemed quite to fit the love I had in mind.
Perhaps something closer the buddhist concept of bodhisattva, meaning altruistic love for all sentient beings?
Ah, Christian love… the kind of altruistic love that makes people tell you that you’re a fallen and depraved creature due to the sin of Adam and thus will be burning in Hell forever unless you “accept Jesus as your savior” by becoming a Christian ASAP. (If precedent is any guide, I can already guess that Roko’s basilisk will be featured prominently in the new “rationality religion”!)
Well, our baseline is what, Buddhist love? There is Buddhist hell) as well and surprise! it doesn’t sound like a pleasant place. You get there through being enslaved by your lusts and desires—unless, of course, you accept the teachings of Buddha ASAP :-P
Tangential: I think the “four loves” thing is a bit of a cheat, like the “fifty Eskimo words for snow” meme. The Greeks had different words for describing different kinds of positive interpersonal affect—but so do we! We have “affection” and “friendship” and “devotion” and “lust” and “loyalty” and “benevolence” and so on.
That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with noticing when one of those words (in this case “love”) gets used very broadly, and it doesn’t change the fact that “see how other people classify things” is a useful heuristic. But I am entirely unconvinced that there’s anything very special about the Ancient Greeks, or the notion of love, in this regard—other than various historical contingencies involving C S Lewis, Christianity, and the history of the New Testament.
Well, they were pretty special, being the cradle of the Western civilization ’n’all, but in this specific case all I intended was to give the OP a possible list of specific meanings of the word “love” to consider.
Fair point, well I don’t think romantic love is worthy of sacred status in the irrationality religion. Tough those four neither seemed quite to fit the love I had in mind.
Perhaps something closer the buddhist concept of bodhisattva, meaning altruistic love for all sentient beings?
Sounds like the plain old Christian love, but with a new cool label :-/
Ah, Christian love… the kind of altruistic love that makes people tell you that you’re a fallen and depraved creature due to the sin of Adam and thus will be burning in Hell forever unless you “accept Jesus as your savior” by becoming a Christian ASAP. (If precedent is any guide, I can already guess that Roko’s basilisk will be featured prominently in the new “rationality religion”!)
Well, our baseline is what, Buddhist love? There is Buddhist hell) as well and surprise! it doesn’t sound like a pleasant place. You get there through being enslaved by your lusts and desires—unless, of course, you accept the teachings of Buddha ASAP :-P