individuals, wounded and imperfect as they are, can never attain this sublimation by themselves. In his dialogue The Symposium, he referred to one of the ancient Greek myths to explain why:

"man was originally spherical, because he was complete in himself and self-sufficient. But as a punishment for pride, he was split in two by Zeus, so that now he longs for his other half, striving with all his being to possess it and thus regain his integrity".

This is remarkably similar to the Christian view of marriage as a "two in one flesh" union of man and woman.

So, back to the sign on the Tasmanian hillside: which of these dimensions of love is the "marriage equality" campaign promoting with the slogan "Love is Love"?

Only eroticism, it seems, with preciouslittle of the "divine madness" of Plato's eros. Most of the images in its advertisements are of infatuated same-sex couples holding hands, kissing or embracing. This is the basest form of eros, mere infatuation and physical pleasure.

What about the sacrificial love of agape — the love of a mother for a sick child, the love of an elderly husband caring for a wife with Alzheimer's, the love of Sonny Melton, who died on Sunday in Las Vegas shielding his wife from a deranged killer's bullets?

What about the simple, straightforward philia amongst the players on a football team? The lump in the throat on seeing the flag raised? The year-after-year commitment of volunteer fire fighters?

Intended or unintended, "Love is Love" contains three dangers.

Intended or unintended, "Love is Love" contains