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What is love?

People use the word “love” all the time, especially around this time of year, and it’s a major part of several cultures, as we find it within song, books, and film, but what does it really mean?
Many people simply believe love is an animalistic or genetic urge that dictates our behaviour, and a survival instinct so humanity doesn’t become extinct. They consider the feeling of “love” to be an extension of chemical-biological elements of the human nature that takes place when choosing a mate. However a problem for this is that it doesn’t explain the affections for those who cannot have kids or do not wish to reproduce.
Others believe in Plato’s version of love; that love is made of a series of characteristics, in which the animalistic desire or base lust is suspended by an intellectual conception of love, based on sensual attraction and mutuality.
Ancient philosophy suggests the idea that love is made from eros, philia, and agape. The term eros refers to the part of love made of a passionate intense desire for something, or moreover, the sexual desire for someone. Within Greek mythology, Eros is the son of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, and the God of sexual desire and attraction; his Roman counterpart being the well-known Cupid. However, to Plato, eros simply only meant to hold a simple desire for beauty, within the person, due to our natural behaviour to search for true beauty that reminds us of the beauty within the World of Forms.
The word philia contrasts eros, entailing a fondness and appreciation for others. For ancient Greeks, the term not only suggested a fondness for friends, but loyalties for family, one’s community, and their job. Aristotle suggests that philia is the purest part of friendship, as it cannot come from those who gossip, or those who are aggressive in manner or personality, but rather from than who are temperate, and full of virtue. Although Aristotle says reciprocity is necessary, it doesn’t have to be equal, as a saying of Aristotelian love and friendship is that “the better should be more loved than he loves”, however, saying this, the love should still be proportional.
The term agape refers to the paternal love for god for man, and to man for god, and extends to include a brotherly love for all of humanity. This is built upon within humanity in Leviticus 19:18 with the commandment of loving “thy neighbour as thyself”, as Aquinas used the Aristotelian theories to proclaim God as the most rational being and therefore the most deserving of one’s love, respect, and considerations. However, those who are not religious use the saying “it is better to give than receive”. Most claim that it’s simply a concept of universal love, and of loving people equally, whereas other’s claim this is impractical, due to most not being able to experience being in love with more than one person at a time. But this leads to the question what is the difference of being in love and loving someone?  
Being in love with someone, suggests a romantic love, which is deemed to be of a higher status than sexual or physical attractiveness alone. The idea stems from the Platonic tradition that love is a desire for beauty that transcends the physical body, or in simpler terms, comes from within a person. Romantic love also comes to Aristotle’s theory, similar to the idea of soulmates, and the special love two people find in each other’s virtues – the idea of one soul within two bodies.
Whereas loving someone suggests an innocent love, perhaps using the idea of philia and agape, but forgetting the sexual desire part of love.

The two types of love may be why some feel that they can love more than one person at a time; they may love the multiple people in different ways, as they may love a lot of their friends, however may only be in love with one person, and the person may just be having trouble finding the difference between the two feelings since they are so similar, and therefore confusing.

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