"For Aquinas, hate is not the antithesis of love, or even opposed to it. In his most important work, the " Summa Theologiae," he writes that hate responds to love. In other words, hate is a reaction to threats against what we love, or what we deeply value. We can better understand the experience of hate by getting clear on what it means to love."
"Today, scientists know that feelings of love are related to biochemical processes that release chemicals in the brain, increasing pleasure and excitement. Beyond mere biology or even emotions, some philosophers and psychologists contend that love is also a practice. Love can also refer to a virtue: a habit or settled disposition that increases the likelihood of people thinking, feeling and acting in ways that promote happiness and well-being."
"The concept of virtue is as old as philosophy itself. In the " Republic," written in the fourth century B.C.E., Plato distinguishes between virtue in general and the individual virtues that he believes characterize well-being, such as wisdom, courage, moderation and justice. Love is not among them. Instead, he associates love - for which he used the Greek word "eros" - with f"
Love can be understood as a virtue: a habituated disposition that inclines people to think, feel, and act to promote happiness and well-being. Medieval Christian theology portrays hate not as the opposite of love but as a response to threats against what one loves or deeply values. Contemporary science links love to brain chemistry that releases pleasure-related chemicals, while some philosophers and psychologists treat love as a practice and moral habit. The classical notion of virtue names traits such as wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice, and framing love as a virtue aligns moral formation with sustained dispositions that foster communal flourishing.
Read at The Conversation
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