The BBC’s recent series of Nigel WarÂburÂton-scriptÂed, celebriÂty-narÂratÂed aniÂmaÂtions in phiÂlosÂoÂphy haven’t shied away from the hard quesÂtions the disÂciÂpline touchÂes. How did everyÂthing begin? What makes us human? What is the self? How do I live a good life? In all those videos, Gillian AnderÂson, Stephen Fry, and HarÂry ShearÂer told us what hisÂtoÂry’s most thought-about thinkers have had to say on those subÂjects. But for the latÂest round, WarÂburÂton and The HobÂbit’s Aidan TurnÂer have takÂen on what some would conÂsidÂer, at least for our pracÂtiÂcal purÂposÂes, the trickÂiÂest one of all: what is love?
You might not turn to Jean-Paul Sartre, life partÂner of Simone de BeauÂvoir, as a first love conÂsulÂtant of choice, but the series devotes an entire video to the Being and NothÂingÂness author’s theÂoÂries on emoÂtion. The freeÂdom-mindÂed Sartre sees the conÂdiÂtion of love as a “hazÂardous, painful strugÂgle,” one of either masochism or sadism: “masochism when a lover tries to become what he thinks his lover wants him to be, and in the process denies his own freeÂdom; sadism when the lover treats the loved one as an object and ties her down. Either way, freeÂdom is comÂproÂmised.”
Have we any lighter philoÂsophÂiÂcal perÂspecÂtives on love here? Well, we have a variÂety of philoÂsophÂiÂcal perÂspecÂtives on love, anyÂway: AristoÂphanes’ creÂation myth of the “missÂing half,” SigÂmund Freud and Edvard WestÂerÂmarÂckÂ’s disÂagreeÂment over the OediÂpus comÂplex, and the conÂvicÂtion of “psyÂchoÂlogÂiÂcal egoÂists” from Thomas Hobbes to Richard Dawkins that no such thing as strictÂly selfÂless love exists. The phiÂlosÂoÂphy of love, like love itself, can get comÂpliÂcatÂed, but the clear and witÂty drawÂings accomÂpaÂnyÂing the ideas disÂcussed in these videos can help us enviÂsion the difÂferÂent ideas they encomÂpass. Should you need even clearÂer (or less witÂty) illusÂtraÂtions on the subÂject, you could always turn to Love Is…, though I have a feelÂing you’d find that soluÂtion a bit too simÂple.
Watch all of the aniÂmatÂed videos in the What is Love? playlist here.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
What Makes Us Human?: ChomÂsky, Locke & Marx IntroÂduced by New AniÂmatÂed Videos from the BBC
Lovers and PhilosoÂphers — Jean-Paul Sartre & Simone de BeauÂvoir TogethÂer in 1967
ColÂin MarÂshall writes on cities, lanÂguage, Asia, and men’s style. He’s at work on a book about Los AngeÂles, A Los AngeÂles Primer, and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.