What is it about?
This article explores love as a central phenomenon of human existence. Love is understood not as emotion or instinct, but as an idea that calls upon our distinctly human capacities — reflection, freedom, responsibility, fidelity, and faith. It arises from the experience of separation and incompleteness and points toward unity, belonging, and the becoming of oneself. In this view, to love is to affirm and realize existence — one’s own and that of the beloved — and thus to participate in what it means to be human.
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Why is it important?
Love today often carries the role that religion once held — offering meaning, orientation, and a sense of belonging. This makes it essential for psychology to approach love not as a mere function or emotion, but with philosophical and ethical depth. A richer understanding of love can open new paths for qualitative and meaning-oriented research into what it means to be human.
Perspectives
For me, love belongs to the deepest questions of what it means to be human. To explore it in this way — as a path toward unity, belonging, and becoming — is both a personal calling and a privilege.
Dr. Florian A. Gebler
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Reclaiming love as a distinctly human capacity: A philosophical perspective on psychological theory., Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, October 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/teo0000340.
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