Evidence for the Existence of Love

[SalixIncendium]

Disagree. As I said above, the experience of love is love, the experience of god is not god - except you define the experience as god. That would explain why gods can only ever be found in the imagination of people and why every god is different from the next. I think most believers would disagree with that definition.
(But then, they would disagree with any other other definition also.)

Is that really what you want to say, that god is an emotion?

I'm not even agreeing that love is an emotion. See posts #48 and #51.

You'll have to explain how the experience of love is love, but the experience of god is not god. I have no idea what you're attempting to say here, but as written, it really doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Abduction, theft of property.

Well no, actually. Paris’ set his destiny in motion when he was visited by Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Hera, Goddess of family, and Athena, Goddess of wisdom. Asked to judge them in a beauty contest, he chose Aphrodite the Goddess of love over the other pair and his fate was sealed.

 

[Heyo]

So if someone says they have an experience of an interaction with Kali, that's nothing about gods? Why not?

If you dream of being visited by ET, is that evidence for ET?

 

[ChristineM]

Well no, actually. Paris’ set his destiny in motion when he was visited by Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Hera, Goddess of family, and Athena, Goddess of wisdom. Asked to judge them in a beauty contest, he chose Aphrodite the Goddess of love over the other pair and his fate was sealed.

Myths are a wonderful way to tell stories,

 

[Mock Turtle]

Another thought as occurred to me: One who has never experienced love may be as inclined to say love does not exist as one who has never experienced god(s) may be inclined to say god(s) does not exist. Since love is as objectively evident as god(s), one who hasn't experienced one, the other, or both may be inclined to deny their existence.

Agree? Disagree? Why?

Nothing like the same in my view, given that one (God) seems to require some knowledge (and thinking) as to what is beyond one's own experiences - as to the possible existence of any God, because one can't necessarily trust what occurs within the mind - whereas love mostly can be seen as being more an emotional expression or response than any thinking about such.

 

[ChristineM]

How do you mean @ChristineM ?

That your love for your children makes you act perfectly towards them, always?

That they love you unconditionally and therefore never feel that you make mistakes that require forgiving?

That they love you in a manner that means that they forgive your shortcomings towards them a-priori and you therefor feel that you needn’t apologise when you fail them?

I don’t understand what it is that you mean.

Humbly,
Hermit

That reason or explanation promotes understanding.

 

[SalixIncendium]

If you dream of being visited by ET, is that evidence for ET?

False equivalence. We are speaking of experiences in the waking state, not an a dream state.

 

[Heyo]

I'm not even agreeing that love is an emotion. See posts #48 and #51.

That is a very personal opinion only you hold. And you haven't even said what love is, only what it isn't.
If you claim that love is an objective entity outside of your personal experience, then yes, love has pretty similar characteristics as gods. There is no objective evidence they even exist and the definition is only in your head.

You'll have to explain how the experience of love is love, but the experience of god is not god. I have no idea what you're attempting to say here, but as written, it really doesn't make any sense to me.

That is because you don't accept the common definition of love as an emotion (feeling. experience, mental state).

 

[SalixIncendium]

Nothing like the same in my view, given that one (God) seems to require some knowledge (and thinking) as to what is beyond one's own experiences - as to the possible existence of any God...

Why "beyond one's own experiences?"

...because one can't necessarily trust what occurs within the mind - whereas love mostly can be seen as being more an emotional expression or response than any thinking about such.

Both occur in the mind. So should we neither trust an experience of god(s) or an experience of love?

If you have not had an experience of god(s), how can you intelligently examine the difference give both experiences are purely subjective?

 

[Heyo]

False equivalence. We are speaking of experiences in the waking state, not an a dream state.

There are people who strongly believe to have alien abduction experienced. Is that evidence for alien abductions?

 

[RestlessSoul]

Myths are a wonderful way to tell stories,

Yes they are. There’s always a universal truth buried in the myth, especially those myths which endure for millennia.

 

[SalixIncendium]

That is a very personal opinion only you hold. And you haven't even said what love is, only what it isn't.
If you claim that love is an objective entity outside of your personal experience, then yes, love has pretty similar characteristics as gods. There is no objective evidence they even exist and the definition is only in your head.

That is because you don't accept the common definition of love as an emotion (feeling. experience, mental state).

It's not my "very personal opinion." It's based on accepted definitions in three separate dictionaries. All of them say love is an attraction and say nothing about emotion.

Please show me a definition that states "love is an emotion."

 

[SalixIncendium]

There are people who strongly believe to have alien abduction experienced. Is that evidence for alien abductions?

Subjective experiential evidence, yes.

Or were you trying to build a straw man for objective evidence?

 

[ChristineM]

Yes they are. There’s always a universal truth buried in the myth, especially those myths which endure for millennia.

Although Troy was burned down there is no consensus what causes the destruction, none that the trojan wars actually took place and none to what caused the wars if they did take place.

However if they did take place some classical sources say the war began after the abduction of Helen of Sparta by Paris.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Please show me a definition that states "love is an emotion."

Love is a feeling, and feeling is an emotional state:

 

[SalixIncendium]

Love is a feeling, and feeling is an emotional state:

View attachment 80936

Yet no dictionary comes right out and defines it as an emotion. One must draw parallels to come to that conclusion.

Here's an interesting article for anyone interested who contends that love is an emotion...

Love Is Not an Emotion

Discover the true nature of romantic love and its impact on society. Explore the physiological drive behind love and its addictive qualities. Uncover the confusion between love and emotion, and the consequences it brings. Don't miss this insightful article on the urgent need to redefine love in...

www.scirp.org

I tend to agree that it's a physiological motivation rather than an emotion. Love can drive emotional responses, but again, I strongly disagree that it's an emotion in and of itself.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

See post #48. Furthermore, I'm not finding any dictionary definitions that agree with this. I've checked Cambridge, Collins, and M-W.

Well, here is M-W:

love​

noun​

ˈləv

Synonyms of love
1
a(1)
: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
maternal love for a child

(2)
: attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers
After all these years, they are still very much in love.

(3)
: affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
love for his old schoolmates

b
: an assurance of affection
give her my love


2
: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
love of the sea


3
a
: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration
baseball was his first love

b(1)
: a beloved person : DARLING

—often used as a term of endearment
(2)
British

—used as an informal term of address

4
a
: unselfish loyal and benevolent (see BENEVOLENT sense 1a) concern for the good of another: such as
(1)
: the fatherly concern of God for humankind
(2)
: brotherly concern for others
b
: a person's adoration of God

5
: a god (such as Cupid or Eros) or personification of love

6
: an amorous episode : LOVE AFFAIR

7
: the sexual embrace : COPULATION

8
: a score of zero (as in tennis)

Now, I think we can leave out number 8, as that's just a made-up term. And number 7 is a usage that tends to obfuscate -- i.e. we say "making love" when we really mean copulating, and they are definitively NOT the same thing.

But read all the rest carefully: in every case, there is feeling (i.e. emotion) involved. Even "attachment" as it's used here is a feeling, as there are no actual glue, nails or staples involved.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Well, here is M-W:

Now, I think we can leave out number 8, as that's just a made-up term. And number 7 is a usage that tends to obfuscate -- i.e. we say "making love" when we really mean copulating, and they are definitively NOT the same thing.

But read all the rest carefully: in every case, there is feeling (i.e. emotion) involved. Even "attachment" as it's used here is a feeling, as there are no actual glue, nails or staples involved.

See my post directly previous to the one you just posted (#76).

 

[Nakosis]

We've had several threads that have atheists asking theists for evidence for the existence of God. But that's not what this thread is about.

Do you believe love exists? Why or why not?

Are you able to provide evidence of love? If so, please do so here.

Yes, love is a biochemical known physical process of the brain.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/14/health/brain-on-love-wellness/index.html

So,
A: You experience the physical process of love.
B: This process is known and verified by science.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Yet no dictionary comes right out and defines it as an emotion. One must draw parallels to come to that conclusion.

Here's an interesting article for anyone interested who contends that love is an emotion...

Love Is Not an Emotion

Discover the true nature of romantic love and its impact on society. Explore the physiological drive behind love and its addictive qualities. Uncover the confusion between love and emotion, and the consequences it brings. Don't miss this insightful article on the urgent need to redefine love in...

www.scirp.org

I tend to agree that it's a physiological motivation rather than an emotion. Love can drive emotional responses, but again, I strongly disagree that it's an emotion in and of itself.

What you are not getting is what I explained in my first post in this thread: emotions are how we come to know of our physiological motivations. You don't suddenly become aware of a whole array of descriptors, measurements, features, maybe a negative or two -- your motivation is expressed in and through emotions. That's how your body communicates with your brain.

For example, this from the NHS: "Thirst is normally just the brain's way of warning that you're dehydrated because you're not drinking enough fluid." So even thirst (unless it's caused by a pathology) is just a feeling, an emotion, describing the physiological motivation to rehydrate yourself.