Abstract

In response to the question, "What is Love," I examined selected concepts of love in the Western tradition with the purpose of promoting a better understanding of love. While my primary source was the history of ideas, my approach was pluralistic in the sense that I referred to arguments and insights of a number of disciplines, among them philosophy, religion and science. The findings indicate that Western concepts of love present a wide spectrum of ideas which are supported by values and beliefs of time and place and respond to a variety of human needs and desires. I introduced a different concept of love, which I named "holistic love." Finally, I encouraged educators to teach concepts of love either as a part of other disciplines: science, medicine and philosophy, for example, as well as in courses on literature, visual art, music and others, or as a separate program. From the perspectives of humanistic adult education and values education I offered practical suggestions as to how such a program might be approached.