This is a first of three essays on Giorgio Agamben, that are going to be shared on our newly found blog section.
Agamben is one of the greatest living philosophers, whose thoughts touch upon some of the fundamental beginnings of culture, religion, and politics, and weaves them with rare finesse in a narrative that lays bare the fragile yet infinite potential of human creativity and desire for meaning.
The Idea of Love
To live in intimacy with a stranger, not to draw him closer, or to make him known, but rather to keep him strange, remote: unapparent-so unapparent that his name contains him entirely. And, even in discomfort, to be nothing else, day after day, than the ever open place, the unwaning light in which that one being, that thing, remains forever exposed and sealed off.
G. Agamben
In this exquisite short prose piece one of Giorgio Agamben, formulates an idea of love, both radical and tender. An idea that has the potential to transform one’s vision of living together, of sharing an existential space with a human being who is wholly other.
For Agamben, one cannot understate or underestimate thе otherness of our loved ones, of our life partners. It is an alterity, constantly present, working within every gesture, every gentle touch, every word that strives to approach, to name, to place him/her within a horizon of meaning. It is this unreachability between two bodies, two souls that love must confront and address.
But how can this be?
There is an obvious contradiction here, a paradox, expressed by Agamben in the very first line of his essay – to live in intimacy with a stranger. For to love someone is the opposite of being a stranger, the opposite of being unreachable. It is love that draws us closer, love that creates a shared world and forms this intimate atmosphere where the fragility of being human is revealed in all its subtle nuances.
However, for Agamben, this is an intuitive understanding of love that, although true, conceals a key dimension that if not expressed clearly and with courage, prevents one from grasping this deeper layer of meaning where love becomes a sublime force that is both universal and radically concrete, i.e., a force that gives Being both its infinity and its necessary limit.
This is what the philosopher tries to name with words like strange and remote. It’s this immanent distance that functions within the core of love. This distance, or to use again a word from Agamben’s essay – this being sealed-off – is what reveals the true force of love when stripped from all common intuitions, all abstract figures of togetherness and sharing.
Thus, the stake of Agamben’s thought is the concreteness of love manifested in the impossibility of fully becoming One with the other, of revealing yourself unconditionally. But this doesn’t mean that there isn’t such a thing as closeness, as vulnerability, as oneness. It means that to fully grasp their essence, their necessity in a relationship, one must understand distance, one must feel the scarring otherness of a loved one, his/her strangeness, and accept it no matter how hard and discomforting such a process may be. In other words, one must free oneself from all the representations that protect one from experiencing the silences, the absences, the everydayness of being together. That is what becoming an empty place means for Agamben – а form of abstinence from judgment, from the security of one’s preconceptions.
Because love is a risk, a decision for building a shared existential space grounded in the acceptance of this unconcealed alterity and the irreducible distance it expresses. Only through such recognition does one understand that to create something mutual is a beautiful paradox, namely the creation of a world not united but filled with numerous differences that need to be reinterpreted, reconstituted.
For love at its most unconcealed is the courage to restate the difference of the loved one incessantly and to protect the fragile beauty of his/her otherness which transforms love into the universal yet concrete tenderness and care for life itself.
Author: Yakim Petrov
------------------
Join us in helping families honor the memory of their loved ones and pets through art!
Our Affiliate Program is now available. at https://www.pulvisurns.com/pages/affiliate-program-by-pulvis-art-urns
Latest Stories
Ways to Honour a Loved One Without Visiting a Cemetery
Honouring a loved one doesn't have to be limited to visiting a cemetery. Discover meaningful and heartfelt ways to celebrate their life through personal traditions, living memorials, keepsakes, charitable acts and beautiful remembrance ideas that keep their memory alive every day.
The Emotional Weight of “Lasts”: The Last Conversation, Last Hug, Last Goodbye
The last conversation, last hug, and last goodbye are some of the most emotionally powerful experiences a person can carry. These final moments transform ordinary interactions into lifelong memories, revealing the depth of love, connection, grief, and human attachment. This article explores why we remember final moments so vividly, how they shape the way we process loss, and why appreciating everyday connections matters before they become memories.
The First Holiday Without Someone: Why It Feels So Different
The first holiday after losing someone we love can feel completely different from any celebration before it. The traditions remain, the decorations appear, and families gather together, but the absence of one important person changes everything. This article explores why holidays intensify grief, how memories are triggered through traditions and senses, and how families learn to honour loved ones while creating new ways to remember.
Discover why everyday sounds can become powerful reminders of the people we love. From familiar voices and favourite songs to simple household noises, sound has the ability to preserve memories, awaken emotions, and maintain a connection with those who are no longer physically present.
After losing someone we love, ordinary belongings can become some of the most meaningful reminders of their life. A favourite sweater, handwritten note, piece of jewellery, or family recipe can carry memories, emotions, and a sense of connection that goes far beyond the object itself. This article explores why we keep the things left behind, the psychology behind emotional attachment to personal belongings, and how these objects help us preserve love, identity, and family stories after loss.
Share:
Adventure