Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe: An Analysis

Does one have to love himself before loving another? First, what is the definition of love? Is it to be passionate about something or maybe truly care about someone? The book Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe written by Benjamin A. Saenz gives a unique point of view on what love is. In the book, the main character Aristotle does not have many friends until he meets a kid by the name of Dante, who becomes Aristotle's best friend. They do everything together and end up in a romantic relationship with each other. This story is based in the 1990’s United States and the couple is of the same sex. Neither of these kids had self-worth or self-love prior to meeting each other. Back to the question: does one have to love himself before loving another. Some may argue, one has to love himself first. This is entirely not true.

First, a person does not have to love themselves before loving another. A person can give love even when they don't have love for themselves. Giving love is a choice. For example, from the book Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe on page 75, Aristotle shows self-loathing when he states, “Me and my eyes are always sad”(Sanez pg. 75). This and other instances indicates how Aristotle does not love himself. Yet despite this, Aristotle expresses his love freely to Dante. This backs

For instance, on the last page Dante says to Aristotle, “try it again’, I said, ‘kiss me’”(Sanez pg. 358). These loving interactions are common between the two. Yet just a few pages earlier Dante mentions how he wishes his little brother would like girls and not be like himself which indicates a self-loathing to his own disposition. This is yet another example of how love is not something a person has to receive in order to give. Even though Dante continuous to hate himself, he still loves another