Platonic love

Platonic love is a type of love which is friendly or affectionate, but sexual desire is nonexistent, suppressed or sublimated.

The term is derived from the name of the Greek philosopher Plato, although the modern usage of the term does not exactly refer to his idea. Plato's conception of love concerned rising through levels of closeness to wisdom and true beauty, from carnal attraction to individual bodies to attraction to souls, and eventually, union with the truth.

In the 15th century, a Latin term for Plato's idea of love, amor platonicus, was coined by Marsilio Ficino; "platonic love" then entered the English language in the 1630s, when Neoplatonism was a fad among royalty. Later, by the time of the 18th century, the term came to be used more in the modern sense to mean a sexless relationship.

Platonic love is not always mutually exclusive with romance or passion, however. For example, a romantic friendship involves passionate feelings without sexual desire.

Plato's ideal where the lover achieves transcendence through nonsexual adoration has also been interpreted as a positive conception of passionate love—usually only between men in ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks thought of love and marriage as separate; they did have a concept of passionate, romantic love, but it was typically viewed as a madness and only depicted in literature.

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