Abstract

In this paper I will discuss some aspects of a humanistic perpsective on love which include both elements, idealistic as well as realistic ones. I will argue, that any experience of love is directly affected by an individual's love of self-awareness that enables a person to recognize the origins of his feeelings and allows him to act upon them in an intentional manner. Through such realizations, an individual can remain an autonomous actor, utilizing his knowledge of oneself to explore one's emotions beyond the limits of social restraints. For it is the authentic experience of one's awareness that enables a rational person to master the existential absurdity of one's existence. I will claim that the origin of love does not reside in the realm of emotionality. Instead, love relates directly to an individual's state of self-awareness.