Philosophy of Love
FYS 100-09 (CRN#21475) | TR 10-11:50 PM | Bldg 3-015 | Spring 2014
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Aaron Smuts | asmuts@ric.edu
| office hours: 219 Alger Hall, 12:30-1:30 TR
Description
What is love? How are love of friends, children, and romantic
partners similar or different? What about love for God? This course will
critically examine such questions as: Can love be rationally justified? Is love
a response to value recognized, or is it a projection of value onto the
beloved? Is love ever morally required? Consider a parent's love or a spouse's
love. Should we love our family more than strangers? What about members of our
country or our race? Is love even under our control at all? Would love caused
by a potion be deficient? We will explore theories of emotion, value,
rationality, authenticity, and partiality.
Books
There
is just one required text for this course:
- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Washington
Square Press, 1993). ISBN: 0743482816 [MSND] (Buy this version.)
There are five
recommended books:
- Plato, Symposium, trans. Nehamas and
Woodruff (Hackett, 1989). ISBN:
0872200760 [S]
- Solomon and Higgens, eds.,
The Philosophy of Erotic Love (UP
Kansas, 1991). ISBN: 0700604804 [PEL]
- Soble, ed., Eros, Agape, and Philia: Readings in
the Philosophy of Love (Paragon House 1989) ISBN: 1557782784 [EAP]
- Badhwar, ed., Friendship: A Philosophical Reader
(Cornell UP, 1993) ISBN: 0801490973 [FPR]
- Andrew Lawrence Roberts. The Thinking Student's Guide to
College: 75 Tips for Getting a Better Education. University Of Chicago
Press, 2010. ISBN-10: 0226721159.
All of the readings,
except for Midsummer Night's Dream will be posted on Blackboard [BB]. But it
will be easier for you to buy some the recommended books. Otherwise you'll need
to print out all of the articles. You'll get the most bang for your buck by
buying the Solomon and Higgens and the Soble, PEL and EAP. And the Plato is cheap; you should own it.
Coursework
There will be two different forms
of coursework: (best 20 out of 26) daily quizzes and three take-home examinations. I will give a short quiz at the beginning of
each class that will require one or two sentence answers. The quizzes are closed-book, but
open-note. The bulk of your grade comes
from the take-home exams. All assignments must be completed to pass the course.
Quizzes (10%) + + first exam (30%) + late-term exam (30%) +
final exam (30%).
I encourage students who are
doing well to write a term paper in place of the final exam. If you chose this
option, please let me know before Spring break. I'll help you refine your topic
and develop an outline. You must give me an abstract and a rough outline one
month before the final exam period. I will not accept a term paper otherwise.
Attendance Policy
Although I record every class
meeting, attendance is required. If you miss 6 or more classes, you will
receive a 0 for your quiz grade. If
you miss 12 or more classes, you will receive an F for the course. (There
are no excused or unexcused absences. But please talk to me if something major
comes up that dramatically effect your attendance.)
Tardiness Policy
If you are more than 5 minutes late, I will not accept your daily quiz
and you will be marked absent. Come to class on time. If you are more than 10
minutes late, you will not be admitted to class.
Leaving Early Policy
No matter the reason, if you leave early, I will not accept your daily
quiz and you will be marked absent. It doesn't matter if you have a court date,
a doctor's appointment, or if you have to get to work. If you leave early, you
will be marked absent.
Classroom Etiquette Policy
Pay attention; don't have distracting side conversations with other
students; don't read newspapers or do crossword puzzles in class; don't sleep;
don't text; don't sigh loudly with displeasure. This kind of behavior is
disruptive. Be civil. Be courteous. This isn't high school. If your behavior is
disruptive, I will ask you to leave. If I have to ask you to leave twice,
you will receive an F in the class.
Laptop Policy
Laptop use is prohibited. The same
goes for tablet computers and smartphones. Consider this rehab for Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram addiction. You should print the articles posted on
Blackboard and bring them to class.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism—claiming someone
else’s ideas or written work as your own—will not be tolerated. The tests are
not collaborative. All sources must be cited. Anyone caught cheating will be
given a failing grade in the course. I am also required to report you to the
Vice President of Academic Affairs. But
I would report you even if it was optional. Plagiarism is a serious offense.
Class Schedule (tentative)
* The
readings for each class are nested under the date. You should do the readings before class. There will be a quiz every class.
- Week 1
- C1 (T: 1/21) Introduction and Overview
- Optional Background
Reading
- Bennett Helm,
"Love" (SEP)
Topic I. Animals
- C2 (R: 1/23) Animal Love and Grief
- Readings
- Marc Bekoff, The Emotional Lives of Animals,
Ch.3 [BB] (40 pages, but it reads fast.
Be sure to at least read pp.70-77 on love and pp.62-70 on grief.)
- Further Reading
- Aaron Smuts, "Four
Theses About Caring" [BB] (just read the first thesis)
- Konrad Lorenz,
"The Perennial Retainers" [BB]
- Week 2
- C3 (T:
1/28) Animal Friends
- Readings
- Diane
Jeske, "The Friendship of Felines" [BB]
Topic II. Friendship
- C4 (R:
1/30): The Value of
Friendship
- Readings
- Laurence
Thomas, "Friendship and Other Loves" [FPR]
- C.S.
Lewis, "Friendship—The Least Necessary Love" [FPR]
- Week 3
- C5 (T: 2/4): Morality and Friendship
- Readings
- Dean Cocking and
Jeanette Kennett, "Friendship and Moral Danger" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Susan Wolf,
"Morality and Partiality" [BB]
Topic III: Partiality
- C6 (R: 2/6) Partiality and Morality
- Readings
- John Cottingham,
"Partiality, Favoritism, and Morality" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Andrew Oldenquist,
"Loyalties" [BB]
- John Cottingham,
"Ethics and Impartiality" [BB]
- Bernard Williams, "Persons,
Character and Morality" [BB]
- Wartenberg, "Moral
Intelligence and the Limits of Loyalty: The Third Man" [BB]
- Recommended Movie
- "The Third
Man" (Reed, 1949; 104 min) [BB]
- C7 (T: 2/11) Relationships and Partiality
- Readings
- Tom Hurka, "The
Justification of National Partiality" [BB]
- Further Reading
- C. D. Broad, "The
Self and Others" [BB]
- Niko Kolodny,
"Which Relationships Justify Partiality?" [BB]
- Samuel Scheffler,
"Morality and Reasonable Partiality" [BB]
- Diane Jeske,
"Friendship, Virtue, and Impartiality" [BB]
- Troy Jollimore,
"Friendships Without Partiality?" [BB]
Topic IV. The Nature of Romantic Love
- C8 (R: 2/13): Theories of Love
- Readings
- Plato, Symposium (pp.1-39) [S]
- C9 (T: 2/18): Theories of Love, cont.
- Readings
- Plato, Symposium, cont. (pp.39-75) [S]
- Further Reading
- Martha Nussbaum,
"The Speech of Alcibiades" (skim) [PEL]
- Alexander Nehamas and Paul
Woodruff, "Introduction" [S]
- C10 (R: 2/20): Union Theories
- Readings
- Robert Nozick,
"Love's Bond" [PEL]
- Further Reading
- Robert Solomon, “The Elusive Emotion,” About Love (pp. 31-76) [BB]
- Week 6
- C11 (T: 2/25): Concern Theories
- Readings
- Susan Wolf, "The
Basic Question" [BB]
Topic V. Irreplaceability
- C12 (R: 2/27): Attachment
- Readings
- Joseph Raz,
"Attachment and Uniqueness" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Richard Kraut, “Love De
Re” [BB]
- Amelie Rorty, "The
Historicity of Psychological Attitudes" [FPR]
- Michelle Montague,
"Against Propositionalism" [BB]
- Week 7
- C13 (T 3/4) Irreplaceability
- Readings
- Chris Grau,
“Irreplaceability and Unique Value” [BB]
- Further Reading
- Niko Kolodny,
"Love as a Valuing Relationship" (pp.135-142) [BB]
- Recommended Movie
- "Solaris"
(Soderberg, 2002; 99 min) [BB]
Topic VI.
Recognition or Bestowal
- C14 (R: 2/26): Appraisal or Bestowal
- Readings
- Cervantes, Don Quixote, “Knight of the
Mirrors” [BB]
- Irving Singer, from The Nature of Love [PEL]
- Week 8 ***SPRING BREAK
3/11-1/15***
- Week 9
- C15 (T: 3/18): Appraisal or Bestowal
- Readings
- John Berryman, "A
Love Sonnet" [EAP]
- John Brentlinger, “The
Nature of Love” [EAP]
- Further Reading
- Anders Nygren,
"Eros and Agape" [EAP]
Topic VII.
Justifying Love
- C16 (R: 3/20) An Example
- Movie
- "Say
Anything" (Crowe, 1989; 100 min)
- Readings
- Yeats, "For Ann
Gregory" [EAP]
- Week 10
- C17 (T: 3/25) Justifying Love
- Readings
- Sappho, "Hymn to
Aphrodite" [EAP]
- Laurence Thomas,
"Reasons for Loving" [PEL]
- Further Reading
- George Pitcher,
"Emotion" [BB]
- Neil Delaney,
"Romantic Love and Loving Commitment" [BB]
- Gabriele Taylor,
"Justifying the Emotions" [BB]
- Gabriele Taylor,
"Love" [BB]
- C18 (R: 3/27): Is Love an Emotion
- Readings
- Robert C. Roberts,
"What is an Emotion?" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Annette Baier,
"Unsafe Loves" [PEL]
- O. H. Greene, "Is
Love an Emotion?" [BB]
- Week 11
- C19 (T: 4/1)
- Readings
- Aaron Smuts,
"Normative Reasons for Love, Part I" [BB]
- Further Reading
- D. W. Hamlyn, "The
Phenomena of Love and Hate" [EAP]
- Aaron Ben-Ze'ev,
"Hating the One You Love" [BB]
- Aaron Ben-Ze'ev,
"Anger and Hate" [BB]
- C20 (R: 4/3)
- Readings
- Aaron Smuts,
"Normative Reasons for Love, Part II" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Aaron Smuts, "In
Defense of the No-Reasons View" [BB]
- Niko Kolodny,
"Love as a Valuing Relationship" (pp.146-153) [BB]
- Abramson and Leite,
"Love as a Reactive Emotion" [BB]
Topic VIII. Loving Better Things
- Week 12
- C21 (T: 4/8): The Value of the Beloved
- Readings
- Harry Frankfurt, "On
Caring" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Harry Frankfurt, Reasons of Love, ch. 3
(pp.69-100) [BB]
- Niko Kolodny,
"Love as a Valuing Relationship" (pp.142-6) [BB]
- C22 (R: 4/10): The Value of the Beloved
- Readings
- Susan Wolf,
"Frankfurt's Avoidance of Objectivity" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Aaron Smuts, "Is
it Better to Love Better Things?" [BB]
- Richard Kraut,
"Desire and the Human Good" [BB]
- Gregory Trianosky,
"Rightly Ordered Appetites" [BB]
- Alasdair MacIntyre,
"Comments on Frankfurt" [BB]
- Annette Baier,
"Caring About Caring: A Reply to Frankfurt" [BB]
Topic IX. Love and Volition
- C23 (T: 4/15) A Fairy Interlude
- Movie
- "A Midsummer
Night's Dream" (Hall, 1968) [first half]
- Readings
- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Acts 1-3)
- C24 (R: 4/17) A Fairy Interlude, cont.
- Movie
- "A Midsummer
Night's Dream" (Hall, 1968) [second half]
- Readings
- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Acts
4-5)
- Further Reading
- Schopenhauer,
(selections) [PEL]
- Irvine, “The Ebb and
Flow of Desire” [BB]
- Aaron Smuts, "Love
and Free Will" [BB]
Topic X. Marriage and Commitment
- Week 14
- C25 (T: 4/22) Promising to Love
- Readings
- John Wilson, "Can
One Promise to Love?" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Robert Solomon,
“Falling in Love,” About Love
(pp. 129-194) [BB]
- Geoffrey Gorer,
"On Falling in Love" [EAP]
- Edward Sankowski,
"Love and Moral Obligation" [BB]
- Edward Sankowski,
"Responsibility of Persons for Their Emotions" [BB]
- C26 (R: 4/24): Against Marriage
- Reading
- Dan Moller,
"Against Marriage" [BB]
- Week 15
- C27 (T: 4/29): In Support of Marriage
- Readings
- Iddo Landau, "An
Argument for Marriage" [BB]
- Dan Moller, "The
Marriage Commitment-Reply to Landau" [BB]
- C28 (R 5/1): Love and Death
- Reading
- Dan Moller, "Love
and Death"
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