Love has, from our beginning as the human race, been an essential part of the human condition, and it has occupied the thoughts of many of the world’s greatest thinkers and artists. Love is, of course, a blanket term: everyone knows that there are many different forms of love. We can say “I love you” to our children, to our parents, friends, or significant others, or even referring to objects or activities, and in each of these instances, the term denotes different sets of feelings with some common characteristics.

The ancient Greeks, who produced some of the greatest philosophers of humankind (and from whom the term “philosophy” itself is derived), have used a number of terms to denote different kinds of love, the most common ones being eros, agape, philia, storge, and thelema, each of which refer to different manifestations or aspects of love.

The philosopher Aristotle uses the term “philia” as meaning a virtuous, non-physical love as found in friendship, devotion and loyalty to one’s family and community. “Eros” refers to love that involves longing and desire, often (though not exclusively) romantic love, that may or may not be reciprocated. In the opinion of another great Greek philosopher, Plato– Aristotle’s mentor–physical attraction is not a condition for eros, which is from where the term “Platonic love” (love without physical attraction) is originated. Eros is also the origin of the adjective “erotic.”

The term “storge” was used by the ancient Greeks exclusively for natural familial affection, especially between parents and children. Finally, “thelema” is a term that refers to desire, not in the same sense as eros, but rather as in the desire to create or achieve something. Lastly, “agape” is the type of love that is best expressed by contentment.