Jacques Le Brun's 'Le pur amour de Platon à Lacan' Traces the History of Pure Love

In his essay 'Le pur amour de Platon à Lacan,' Jacques Le Brun explores the concept of pure love through philosophy, theology, and psychoanalysis. The central focus is the 17th-century theological debate between Fénelon and Madame Guyon against Bossuet, which culminated on March 12, 1699, when Pope Innocent XII condemned Fénelon's 'Explication des maximes des saints.' This dispute was one of the last major theological debates in Christianity, revolving around the idea of love detached from reward or self-interest. Le Brun traces this thread from Plato to Lacan, via Boccace, Kant, Schopenhauer, Sacher-Masoch, and Freud, noting that the paradox of a love that embraces damnation was not a Christian invention but also appeared in paganism and atheological thought (e.g., Bataille). The essay argues that pure love, though seemingly impossible, has driven thought for millennia.