Although Robert Nozick is now recognized as one of the most influential political philosophers, it would be reasonable to indicate that he was not born famous. Back in 1970s, the masses didn’t know much about this truly unprecedented thinker of the 20 th century. At that time, Robert Nozick, a Harvard University professor, desperately tried to broaden the public’s understanding of government coercion. In essence, he sought to get through to people in an endeavor to make it clear to them that the time has come to criticize government without fear. Despite the fact his arguments did make sense to a great extent, Nozick’s breakthrough came much later. Of course, his book entitled “The Examined Life” deserves careful regard; this collection of 27 philosophical meditations can evoke critical responses in a reader. Of all 27 meditations that Nozick’s 1989 book comprises of, “Love’s Bond” is especially worth the time to read it. As many critics reiterate, “Love’s Band” represents an in-depth investigation into tapestry of romantic love, its major constituents as well as limitations.
By immersing into Robert Nozick’s philosophical meditation, it comes to light that the author does a great job of conveying some fantastic claims and reinterpreting words whose meanings are far from being the same for everyone. While some of Nozick’s arguments gravitate towards gross generalization, the fact still remains that all of them are intended to explain one thing: what makes each type of love have something in common is that the other individual’s well-being turns to be our own. When a matched pair’s infatuation morphs into “continuing romantic love” (Nozick, 1990, p. 70), the author introduces that as some sort of “the circle of the we” (Nozick, 1990, p. 74). The lust for a new label in respect of the public status of the two clearly indicates a substantial reorganization of each person’s identity. As “Love’s Bond” progresses, Nozick places special emphasis on the fact that the magnitude of physical merging that occurs during sex contributes positively to the bond that links the two. To put the matter differently, the intensity of physical union experienced when having sex affects the bond in a way that makes partners tightly linked to each other. Nozick notes that the two people’s perception undergoes a colossal rearrangement. Indeed, the author intends to reach down to the core of what pushes the one to think of his/her partner as simply being them. Robert Nozick enlightens the readers on factors that lead us to perceive probable danger to our beloved as danger to ourselves.
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Throughout “Love’s Bond”, quite a number of Nozick’s claims may seem really hard to believe. For many, his perspectives are nothing but baseless suggestions. At the same time, what can be safely said is that the American philosopher leaves it up to the readers to decide on whether or not his claims are worth considering. In reality, it does not feel as if Nozick wants to get the masses to believe in something they do not share. Yes, “Love’s Bond” should be referred to as a philosophical meditation aimed at throwing light on what it is like to understand your partner. Based on Nozick’s opinion that physical merging does strengthen the relationship between the two, the question naturally arises as to why this is so. From the author’s standpoint, it is all about changes to people’s identities that somehow encourage them to recognize that a loss of someone they love is as terrifying as giving them a new identity, which means a loss of self. In Love’s Bond”, Robert Nozick conceives of “adult love” as a type of love where our character flaws are no longer a valid reason for relationship break-up. A peculiar thing is that the author manages to coin a new word-combination – namely, “to be englowed by someone’s love” (Nozick, 1990, p. 74). The American thinker (born 1938) advances an argument that beloved couples often employ the aforementioned phrase to show their devotion to each other.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Robert Nozick must be given credit for his insightful reflection upon the essence of a relationship between a man and a woman. The author delves deep into whether or not there exists only one right partner for each of us; and through the prism of Nozick’s philosophical meditation, it becomes apparent that he is inclined to think that looking for our soulmates will not be the waste of time. Likewise, I agree that each of us can find his/her soulmate. As Robert Nozick points out, however, this idea becomes meaningless after the bond of “we” is created.
Robert Nozick’s “Love’s Bond” posits romantic love as an entity made up of three integral elements. The first thing that the author considers necessary when it comes to interpersonal relationships is a sense of being tightly linked to each other. The second feature, which Nozick makes mention of, is a firm belief that a person should compromise to be in a relationship. The last but not least, Robert Nozick gives reasonable grounds for submitting that public acknowledgment is what couples cannot exist without. According to a renowned American philosopher, each of the partners will definitely seek to be acknowledged publicly. On the whole, it should be noted that the combination of these features creates prerequisites for the establishment of a strong bond between the two. More importantly, the presence of these components paves way towards the development of a person’s combined identity; and this in turn brings couples closer to crafting a “we” platform for their relationships.
In sum, it is wise to admit that “Love’s Bond” brings to the notice of people a matter regarding the need to take another look at interpersonal relationships. This philosophical meditation presents advice for tackling problems in a relationship between men and women. With his truly unique approach to redefining sociological concepts, Robert Nozick finally comes to understand that the identity derived from a strong bond between two people is predisposed to overcome any kind of obstacle.
References
Nozick, R. (1990). Examined Life: Philosophical Meditations. New York: Simon & Schuster.
