Affection

Friendship

Eros

Charity

In his book, ‘The Four Loves’, C. S. Lewis indentifies the four basic kinds of human love - affection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God.

He explores the possibilities and problems of the love between parents and children; the love of men for other men and women for other women; the love of men and women for each other; and the love of God that enriches all love. Lewis also explores the questions of sex, possessiveness, jealousy, pride, false sentimentality, good and bad manners in loving, and the need for more laughter between lovers.

There are risks that accompany the rewards of love, the author cautions, but he recommends taking them, since "hell is the only place outside of heaven where we can be safe from the dangers of love."