sign in sign up
<<
Home , Falling in love, Philosophy of love, Theories of love

of

FYS | TR ?-? PM | Somewhere | Spring 2013

Course Syllabus

Instructor : Dr. Aaron Smuts | [email protected] | office hours: 219 Alger Hall, 12-12:30 TR

Description In this course, we will explore several philosophical problems arising from reflection on romantic love. The class will examine problems in general theory, including: the nature of love, the relationship between value and desire, the rationality of emotion, and the authenticity of desire. We will begin by examining attempts to distinguishing between and romantic love. Then we will evaluate several leading theories of romantic love, paying particular attention to question of whether love is a response to the recognition of value, or if we bestow value through love. Here, we will ask about the relationship between value, belief, and desire. In regards to the nature of love, we will also briefly study theories of the emotions. We will then turn to one of the most important problems in the love literature: Can we rationally justify our love for another? In the final section of the course, we will attempt to account for the prima facie difference between love earned though potions and ordinary love. This will require an account of the authenticity of attitudes and emotions. We will evaluate some of the leading contenders.

The readings will include dozens of articles from contemporary philosophers such as Annette Baier, Harry Frankfurt, Simon Keller, Niko Kolodny, , , , Alan Soble, Robert Solomon, David Velleman, and others. In addition, we will read selections from , Montaigne, and Schopenhauer, as well as 's "." We will also be reading a few literature works, including poems from Sappho, Yeats, and Berryman, and an excerpt from Don Quixote . We will also read Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream .

Books 1. Plato, Symposium , trans. Nehamas and Woodruff (Hackett, 1989). ISBN: 0872200760 [S] 2. Frankfurt, Reasons of Love (Princeton UP, 2004). ISBN: 0691126240 [RL] 3. Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Washington Square Press, 1993). ISBN: 0743482816 4. Solomon and Higgens, eds., The Philosophy of Erotic Love (UP Kansas, 1991). ISBN: 0700604804 [PEL] 5. Soble, ed., , , and : Readings in the (Paragon House 1989) ISBN: 1557782784 [EAP] 6. Badhwar, ed., Friendship: A Philosophical Reader (Cornell UP, 1993) ISBN: 0801490973 [FPR] 7. Pakaluk, ed., Selves: Philosophers on Friendship (Hackett, 1991) ISBN: 0872201139 {optional}

I will post numerous additional readings on Blackboard. [BB]

1 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 (25%) + late-term exam (30%) + final exam (35%).

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 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.

Academic Honesty Plagiarism—claiming someone else’s ideas or written work as your own—will not be tolerated. Anyone caught cheating will be given a failing grade in the course.

Class Schedule (tentative)

Topic I. Varieties of Love

• Week 1 Eros, Philia, Agape T: C1 (?/?): Soble, "Varieties of Love" [BB] R: C2 (?/?): Thomas, "Friendship and Other " [FPR]

• Week 2 Friends and Lovers T: C3 (?/?): C.S. Lewis, "Friendship—The Least Necessary Love" [FPR]; Branden, "Love and Psychological Visibility" [FPR] R: C4 (?/?): Montaigne, "Of Friendship" [OS]; Aristotle, "Perfect Friendship" [EAP]

Topic II. The Nature of Romantic Love

• Week 3. Introduction to Theories of Love T: C5 (?/?): Plato, Symposium (read it all) R: C6 (?/?): Plato, Symposium , cont.; Nussbaum, "The Speech of Alcibiades" [PEL]; {Optional: Nehamas and Woodruff, "Introduction" [S]}

• Week 4. Union Theories and Concern Theory T: C7 (?/?): Nozick, "Love's Bond" [PEL]; {Optional: Solomon, About Love , “The Elusive Emotion” (pp. 31-76) [BB]}

2 R: C8 (?/?): Helm, “Love, Identification, and the Emotions” [BB]

• Week 5. Concern Theories T: C9 (?/?): Frankfurt, "On Caring" [BB] R: C10 (?/?): Wolf, "Frankfurt's Avoidance of " [BB]

• Week 6. Emotion Theories and Their Critics T: C11 (?/?): Hamlyn, "The Phenomena of Love and Hate" [EAP] R: C12 (?/?): Baier, "Unsafe Loves" [PEL]; Roberts, "What is an Emotion?" [BB]

Topic III. Recognition or Bestowal

• Week 7. Appraisal or Bestowal T: C13 (?/?): Singer, from The Nature of Love [PEL]; Don Quixote, “Knight of the Mirrors” [BB] R: C14 (?/?): Brentlinger, “The Nature of Love” [EAP]; {Optional: Nygren, "Eros and Agape" [EAP]}

• Week 8. Bestowal T: C15 (?/?): Frankfurt, Reasons of Love [chs. 1 and 2 (pp. 1-68)] R: C16 (?/?): Frankfurt, Reasons of Love [ch. 3 (pp.69-100)]; Kolodny, "Love as a Valuing Relationship" (pp.142-6) [BB]

Topic IV. Rational Justification of Love

• Week 9. Justifying Love T: C17: (?/?): Sappho, "Hymn to Aphrodite" [EAP]; Thomas, "Reasons for Loving" [PEL] R: C18: (?/?): Berryman, "A Love Sonnet" [EAP]; Keller, "How do I Love Thee?" [BB]

• Week 10. Irreplaceability T: C19 (?/?): Yates, "For Ann Gregory" [EAP]; Kraut, “Love De Re” [BB]; {Optional: Rorty, "The Historicity of Psychological Attitudes" [FPR]} R: C21 (?/?): Grau, “Irreplaceability and Unique Value” [BB]; Kolodny, "Love as a Valuing Relationship" (pp.135-142) [BB]

• Week 11. A Fairy Interlude T: C20 (?/?): A Midsummer Night's Dream (Acts 1-3) R: C21 (?/?): A Midsummer Night's Dream (Acts 4-5); {Optional: Solomon, “” (pp. 129-194) [AL]; Gorer, "On Falling in Love" [EAP]; Schopenhauer, (selections) [PEL]; Irvine, “The Ebb and Flow of Desire” [BB]}

• Week 12. Justifying Love T: C22 (?/?): Smuts, "In Defense of the No-Reasons View" [BB] R: C23 (?/?): G. Taylor, "Love" [BB] {Optional: G. Taylor, "Justifying Emotions" [BB]}

3

Topic V. The Authenticity of Love

• Week 14. Authenticity T: C24 (?/?): Frankfurt, ", Necessity, Love" [BB]; {Optional: Frankfurt, Concept of a Person [BB]; Shoemaker, "Care, Identification, and Agency" [BB]} R: C25 (?/?): Christman, "Autonomy and Personal History" [BB]

• Week 15. Falling in Love T: C26 (?/?): Sankowski, "Love and Moral Obligation" [BB] R: C27 (?/?): Smuts, "Love and " [BB]

4