Beyond Romance: Navigating from Eros to Agape, the Seven Shades of Love According to Greek Philosophy

Valentine Week 2024: Love is in the air, quite literally! The festivities celebrating love and romance have commenced with the first day of Valentine's week- the rose day. However, the passionate, deep reds limit to celebrating only romantic love. So what about the love you feel towards your best friend, or your family, or children? Why is one type of love pedestaled over the other, while the other awaits recognition? 

7 Shades of Love Proposed by Greek Philosophy

Greek Philosophers were probably of the same thought as most of us. Why should the other shades of love be sidelined? Hence they coined a term for each lending equal significance to them all. 

Eros 

The love we are commonly aware of. Eros is the passionate, romantic, and erotic love named after the Greek God of love and desire Eros. Eros is intricately intertwined with the physical attraction of lust for the lover at least initially, which gradually transcends from the appreciation and love for the beauty to an appreciation of the soul hence building into a more spiritual connection. 

Storge

Probably the second most typically felt form of love. Storge is the familial love shared usually between parents and children. This love is founded on feelings of mutual support, acceptance, and security in each other’s company. Your allegiance and patriotism can also be clubbed into storge. 

Philautia 

Self-love. This was deemed a double-edged sword by the ancient Greeks. Self-love is recognising the need for one’s own happiness. It has a positive side i.e. self-compassion and the negative unhealthy kind lingers on the peripheries of narcissism.  

Philia 

The wholesome between equals is Philia. The bond you share with your bestie or the person you call your soul brother or sister. To call it simply, it's a platonic friendship named after Plato the philosopher behind the concept. 

Ludus 

Taking all the creative liberties, we can get the extent of calling the infatuation stage of love. It is the lightly playful and flirtatious love. It’s the butterflies you get after having a crush, that makes you a little bold to tease and always so affectionate to take care of them.   

Agape 

A love for everyone- the camaraderie at your workplace, the empathy and trust towards the people walking with you on the road, and more. It’s also the unconditional love towards God.

Pragma 

The long-lasted, committed, and endurance filled. The one you see in long-term relationships, marriages built with commitment, endurance, sacrifices, and acceptance for each other.