Bromance Analyzed


Time to get nerdy, bros. (Don’t worry; you can clean up later.)

Even though the word ‘bromance’ is fairly new, the concept isn’t, and some of the most famous philosophers in history have given it at least some consideration. Plato perceived bromance as belonging to one of several categories of love, which is what I want to talk about in this article.

The three categories of love, according to Plato, are eros, agape, and philia. I’ll explain the first two only briefly, since they have nothing to do with bromance.

You might have guessed that eros is the root of the word “erotic.” And yes, eros refers to the kind of passion that people look for when they go on dates (regardless of whether they’re straight or gay). However, there is more to eros than just animal lust: Plato claimed that people could experience eros by encountering true, ideal beauty, whether in people, objects, or ideas.

The concept of agape is not as well known, but it refers to a common idea in our culture: the love for people in the abstract. It comes up a lot in religion, with references to God’s love for man and with other examples such as “love thy neighbor.”

So finally we come to the category that bromance fits into: philia. Philia encompasses what most of us think of as key elements of friendship: fondness, appreciation, and loyalty. Bromance, therefore, can be thought of as philia between two guys. Of course, philia can also happen between women, or with people of the opposite sex. Aristotle wrote that the things that cause philia are “doing kindnesses; doing them unasked; and not proclaiming the fact when they are done.” Philia can result from just getting pleasure from another person’s company, or it can happen because the relationship itself is somehow useful, such as with a business contact.

What good is all this theory? For one thing, it does a good job of defining the lines between bromance and romance. And because things like pleasure and usefulness have different magnitudes, it shows that there’s nothing wrong with having a bro who likes you more than you like him, or vice versa. Both of you still benefit from the relationship.

And of course, quoting Plato and Aristotle makes you look smart.

Later
-The Blog Dude

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