In my thesis I show the different conceptions of love in Empedocles, Plato and Plotinus. In all three I first briefly sketched their doctrine, since love in all three is closely integrated into the whole philosophical system. In Empedocles, love can be understood as the force that sets the whole structure of the universe in motion. At first sight, Plato's discussion of love revolves around human relationships, but a closer analysis shows that love is the best entry point into philosophy in general. Plotinus remains a faithful commentator on Plato, but he expands Plato's findings and relates them to his doctrine of the three hypostases. Love remains the entry point into philosophy; through it we can pass into mystical union with the One. In this way, we also see that the understandings of love in ancient times were quite different from those that are generally known today.
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