Rational love

In our professional literature, like psychology and sociology - love is often rationalized as a dangerous illusion which arouses unreasonable expectations and makes it hard for us to accept the good things in a normal relationship.

In books and novels, on the other hand, love is given special focus. A reader can get to know the main character and enter other people's subjectivities. Hence, love becomes more or less the poets', the song lyrics authors', the novel authors', and the film directors' main tools.

The rationalists don't mind passionless love. They could take a rationalized decision to take interest in someone. Duties and responsibilities are praised higher than the emotional pleasure and the sexual passion. They consider the rational love as easier tamed and controlled than the romantic love.

Romantics, on the other hand, consider the rationalized love consideration as heartless. They see rationalists as shallow, closed, or fearful of passions.

The conflict between the rationalists’ and the romantics’ values are not new. It can be traced back to Plato’s time. However, the twentieth century has stepped back from analyzing love as a subject.

The psychoanalysis should be suited better for this, as it deals with the imagination and the unconscious. Many patients go in therapy for problems associated with love. They are perhaps searching hard for love, or mourn a partner.