The Break-Up Check: Exploring Romantic Love through Relationship Terminations

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Love
• Relationship Termination Studies

Background:

• Philosophical inquiry into love has largely overlooked the phenomenon of break-ups.
• Grief following unchosen relationship terminations is a significant, yet under-examined, aspect of human experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fill the gap in philosophical literature concerning break-ups.
• To analyze the grieving process after involuntary relationship terminations.
• To identify the core loss that would resolve grief following a break-up.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis of the grieving process after unchosen relationship terminations.
• Examination of potential objects of loss: the beloved, reciprocated love, or the relationship itself.

Main Results:

• The universally lost object in break-ups is identified as a person with specific intrinsic qualities within a romantic relationship.
• The beloved and the relationship are not independent objects of grief in romantic break-ups.
• This finding challenges property and relationship views of love's value.

Conclusions:

• Break-ups reveal that the beloved and the relationship are intertwined, not separate, objects of value in romantic love.
• The intrinsic qualities of the person are central to the loss experienced in romantic terminations.
• This perspective offers a novel objection to existing philosophical theories of love.