Beyond qualities: an approach to the sentiment of love from the poetic language

Abstract

The article begins by presenting the idea that the valuable qualities of the beloved person are the ground of the sentiment of love (“theory of qualities”). It is pointed out that this idea would allow to explain certain central features of the sentiment of love, namely some of its rational and irrational aspects, its orientation towards the discovery of the beauty and excellence of the beloved person as well as its tendency to singularize and distinguish the beloved one from among every other person. Some objections against the theory of qualities are exposed, particularly those related with its conception of persons as aggregates of qualities. It is proposed that the theory of qualities should be restricted but maintaining the idea that the sentiment of love allows a perception of the value and beauty of the beloved person. It is showed that the language of qualities is a “language game” inadequate to the sentiment of love. Finally, through an example of Pablo Neruda’s poetry it is indicated how the “language of love” can refer to the value and the beauty of the beloved person without recurring to the language of qualities.