Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of Narcissism
A central question within contemporary debates about the structure of self-love concerns the place and status of the other. Is self-love identical to, or at least vulnerable to, the accusation of self-absorption and narcissism? Whereas contemporary critiques of self-love argue self-love is in princi...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Joseph Rivera |
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| description | A central question within contemporary debates about the structure of self-love concerns the place and status of the other. Is self-love identical to, or at least vulnerable to, the accusation of self-absorption and narcissism? Whereas contemporary critiques of self-love argue self-love is in principle impossible, the present essay suggests that self-love can be integrated with the love of the other at an <i>a priori</i> level. This material <i>a priori</i>, distinct from the Kantian formal <i>a priori</i>, entails resources such as commitment to myself, to the other, and to us as relational unit, as well as to the enforcement of boundaries that protects against acts of injury and abuse instigated against that relational unit; I suggest such resources overcome the charge of narcissism levelled at the very idea of self-love. Prior to that, a brief contextual discussion of key moves about philosophical anthropology, focused on the concept of the monad in Leibniz, Husserl and its extreme repudiation in Jean-Luc Marion, is to be addressed. Finally I assess the intimate relationship between self-love and the love of the other inspired in large part by Augustine’s anthropology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5e1f5d9097df43e58b41f78feade0589 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2409-9287 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Philosophies |
| spelling | doaj-art-5e1f5d9097df43e58b41f78feade05892025-08-20T02:44:43ZengMDPI AGPhilosophies2409-92872025-01-01101610.3390/philosophies10010006Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of NarcissismJoseph Rivera0School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, D09 V209 Dublin, IrelandA central question within contemporary debates about the structure of self-love concerns the place and status of the other. Is self-love identical to, or at least vulnerable to, the accusation of self-absorption and narcissism? Whereas contemporary critiques of self-love argue self-love is in principle impossible, the present essay suggests that self-love can be integrated with the love of the other at an <i>a priori</i> level. This material <i>a priori</i>, distinct from the Kantian formal <i>a priori</i>, entails resources such as commitment to myself, to the other, and to us as relational unit, as well as to the enforcement of boundaries that protects against acts of injury and abuse instigated against that relational unit; I suggest such resources overcome the charge of narcissism levelled at the very idea of self-love. Prior to that, a brief contextual discussion of key moves about philosophical anthropology, focused on the concept of the monad in Leibniz, Husserl and its extreme repudiation in Jean-Luc Marion, is to be addressed. Finally I assess the intimate relationship between self-love and the love of the other inspired in large part by Augustine’s anthropology.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/10/1/6phenomenologylovenarcissismthe otherthe a prioriMarion |
| spellingShingle | Joseph Rivera Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of Narcissism Philosophies phenomenology love narcissism the other the a priori Marion |
| title | Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of Narcissism |
| title_full | Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of Narcissism |
| title_fullStr | Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of Narcissism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of Narcissism |
| title_short | Whom Do I Love When I Love Myself? The Challenge of Narcissism |
| title_sort | whom do i love when i love myself the challenge of narcissism |
| topic | phenomenology love narcissism the other the a priori Marion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/10/1/6 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT josephrivera whomdoilovewhenilovemyselfthechallengeofnarcissism |