The Saudi National Museum in Riyadh has today (Thursday 16th February) organized a panel discussion titled ‘The Philosophy behind Love’ to examine the concept of love, strip it down to its core elements and interpret it from the lens of philosophy and psychology. The forum was moderated by Dr. Khaled Ghattas and featured panelists Dr. Hasan Al Sharif and Dr. Mohammad Al Hajji. Dr. Al Sharif spoke about the role of philosophy in understanding concepts that need to be consistent and possess key patterns to simplify the process of studying and explaining it unlike love, which is considered an enigmatic and chaotic phenomenon, which makes it difficult to define it due to its reliance on personal factors and the human response to them.

The discussion then turned to the difference in the interpretation of love across history. While the Greeks saw it through lens of metaphysics, Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard thought of it as the victory of the soul over the body. Dr. Al Sharif classified love into three dimensions – cognitive inclination, emotional inclination and physical inclination. He stressed that this human instinct instigates towards ethical values and assists in self-discovery to enable decision-making while testing their ideas and principles. On his part, Dr. Al Hajji stated that philosophy makes sure to explain all concepts. It has also categorized love into two types based on its functionality according to psychologist Abraham Maslow. The first type is based on the person’s endeavor to compensate his flaws through love, and the second type is based on shared love, recalling the triangular love theory developed by psychologist Robert Sternberg, which includes three components: intimacy, passion and commitment. He mentions that our childhood shapes our habits as we grow up and our actions reflect that stage since upbringing decides the way we deal with others. Therefore, if humans are belittled by their parents, they would have little trust in those around them. On the other hand, if they manipulated them and fulfilled their desires, they will suffer from the complex of being attached to their caregiver and stick to them to the point of annoyance. The panel discussion is part of a series of forums organized by the Saudi National Museum during February to examine various cultural themes and topics with experts and specialists to enrich the domains of knowledge and thought.