PHIL848P

Since Plato's *Symposium* philosophers have expressed different views of love, considered mainly as a relationship (covering friendship as well as romantic love) that might or might not be expressed in emotion. Our emphasis will be on contemporary work, starting with Frankfurt's attempt to characterize love in terms of the desire to benefit the love-object -thought of as "active" in a sense that would satisfy Kant. We'll go on to explore other authors' objections and alternatives to Frankfurt and eventually to consider love as an emotion.