Daniel Williams: Class Discussion on Loves

I found last Tuesday's discussion (in which Dr. Silverman participated) to be particularly interesting. Lewis' The Four Loves is among my favorite books, and it was enjoyable to discuss its ideas in class. While we covered a wide variety of topics (like the differences between the loves and how each was exemplified in Till We Have Faces), my favorite--and the one that I think is most insightful--is the notion of the ordering of the loves. Dr. Silverman spent some time explaining this idea, and I recall it well from my reading of the book.

Before I had read The Four Loves, I had heard about the different types in other contexts. But Lewis presented them in a light in which I had not previously considered, explaining how each love is only love when it is properly ordered under the highest love, charity, or Divine Love. Although Dr. Silverman did bring up the subject in class, I do not remember how long we dwelled on the idea. The focus seemed to be on discussing the differences between the various types, but for me this was the most intriguing and important subject.

I think that Lewis is correct in believing that the loves need to be ordered, and I think he made it very evident in Till We Have Faces. Many of the comments of the class noted that Orual's demands on Psyche, Bardia, and others were actually harmful types of love. I remember one student quoting the book, mentioning that Orual had used love as a weapon. The examples that we discussed, I think, provide evidence for Lewis' claim: love, if not properly ordered, cease to becomes love and becomes more like hatred. Even more importantly, Lewis argues that love becomes more itself, that is, more of what it was meant to be, when it is properly ordered. While it is easy to place romantic love, friendship, and affection over charity because we value them highly, they actually become less like themselves when we do so, according to Lewis. And I agree, since it is easy to see his point demonstrated in his work, which many of the students' comments brought up in our last discussion.