Quote by John Ralston Saul

Venereal: From Venus, the goddess of love, this word refers to the reality of desire. With the rise of Protestantism and science, the word disease was tacked on in a revealing combination of categorization and moralizing. Which disease? The disease of love.

Venereal: From Venus, the goddess of love, this word refers

Summary

This quote highlights the origin and evolution of the word "venereal," which stems from the name of the goddess of love, Venus. It suggests that with the emergence of Protestantism and scientific understanding, the word "disease" was appended to "venereal" as a way of both categorizing and moralizing the concept. The quote posits that this labeling refers specifically to the "disease of love," implying that the desire and passion associated with love were considered problematic or even sinful by certain societal belief systems.

Topics

Love Science

By John Ralston Saul

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