Love’s Possessiveness

Authors: Stringer R*

DOI: 10.23880/phij-16000252

Volume 5, Issue 2

Abstract

Is love possessive? That of course depends on what we mean by love being “possessive.” Love may be possessive in some way yet not in others. If love is possessive in some way but not others, then in what way is it possessive, and in what ways is it not? In this paper I shall answer these questions by arguing that love is possessive in the way that loyalty is possessive, but it is not possessive in the ways that property-owners are possessive of their mere property, abusers are possessive of their partners, jealousy is possessive of the object it fears losing, or obsession is possessive of its object. By doing so I hope to shed light on the nature of love as not only possessive, but as loyal and thus as possessive in a loyal way rather than in other ways that might be confused with love.

Keywords: Love; Possessive; Loyalty

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