A Temporal Relationship Theory for the Justification of Love

We believe that love happens for a variety of reasons, yet the alteration of these reasons need not alter love. Philosophers call the former the selectivity of love and the latter the constancy of love. In this paper, I critically review quality theory and person theory and argue that neither can explain both phenomena. In light of Kolodny (2003) and Bagley (2015), I propose a temporal relationship theory (TRT) and argue that love between two people is justified if they are in a relationship for which a similar interpretation of the history, understanding of the present, and anticipation of the future of some identify-shaping ends of the relationship is shared. TRT can explain both the constancy and selectivity of love and the role of the beloved’s qualities and identity in the justification of love.