Abstract
In this article, I review the heteronormative social conventions of cisgender
men and women's abilities to build and maintain friendships vis-.vis
traditional Western gender roles. It divides the philosophical concept of
Plato’s “platonic love” as fully realized Eros from the basic social
interpretation of “platonic” relationships as connections devoid of sexual or
romantic feelings. Aristotle's definitions of friendship, divided into the three
categories of pleasure, utility, and virtue, are compared to friendships
cisgender men and women form with others of the same orientation. Men's
friendships are found to more often fall into friendships of utility and
pleasure, while women's friendships are more representative of virtuous
friendships. Simone De Beauvoir's gender schema is used to interpret why
there is such a stark difference between cisgender people's ability to connect
with others. Lastly, I will analyze how the social and emotional problems
of cisgender society lead to the further alienation of the transgender
community and maintains that the acceptance of transgender people into
cisgender society would be beneficial to both communities’ ability
to initiate physically and emotionally intimate platonic relationships.
Recommended Citation
Parker, Kai
()
"Platonic Affection, Philia, and Trans-Philosophy,"
McNair Research Journal SJSU: Vol. 22
, Article 5.
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/mcnair/vol22/iss1/5