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What is Love ?

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
This 'something' doesn't exist. Love isn't 'born' either.
Love Is a Chemical Reaction, Scientists Find

Its common knowledge (at least to me) that love is chemical related. We're not aliens in relation to how we describe love to ourselves which is more intimate than describing the medical scientific verion of the same thing. Elated feelings and gratitude.

How the brain processes emotions

When we are born, we react to external stimuli. As we grow older, we are taught what these emotions and thoughts mean based on context. So, how we interpret gratitude and cultural norms vary from person to person.

So, it is chemicals as we are animals just as any other carnivor out there who has the ability to care for others, be emotionally prvoked, and so forth.

But humans interpret those emotions to more intimate ideas than just chemicals. Some expain it through analogy, some religion, and some actions. The definition of love isnt focused on the biological meaning. Thats a given. What is love, is more focus on feeling and how we intepret our welbeing in relation to our culture, environment, self and others.

Its the idea, interpretation, and experiences that make love more than chemicals. While saying chemicals is its technical definition, its totally out of context to which the OP asks.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
The environment, as well as your thoughts.
So then the source of the emotion that many call love is not reducible to chemicals? That's what I think, and you seem to agree now in this post, whereas before you were reducing love to chemicals.

I think there's a disorder that causes something like that to happen. Something about laughing or crying at inopportune times.
Yes, that would be an abnormality, and why reductionism to explain what love is as "chemicals" is not what actual love is about, but would make us victims of our bodies, not engaged and fully human. Reductionism is like taking a cross section of the brain, putting it under a microscope, and then calling that a human being. While it may be appealing to be able to simplify things into two-dimensional slices, it says nothing about actual reality.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
Would love to hear your opinions theories and personal experiences on this question. So what is love Is it real? Is it fake? What's your opinion, what's your theory, what's your experience?

Love is affinity. A desire for closeness. Love comes about by sharing communication and knowledge.

The more you have in common, the more you communicate, the more you communicate the closer you become. The closer you become the more knowledge you have in common.

Families generally have a lot of common knowledge. As long as there is a lot of communication between family members, affinity/love will grow.

When there is a break in one of these the other three are affected. Lying, separation, lack of communication can negatively affect a relationship.
 

viole

Ontological Naturalist
Premium Member
Would love to hear your opinions theories and personal experiences on this question. So what is love Is it real? Is it fake? What's your opinion, what's your theory, what's your experience?

You would love to hear our opinion about love?

It feels pretty real, like toothache, although it feels more pleasant than the latter, in most cases.

But I would not promote them to metaphysics, since I think thay are both natural adaptations of our brains, and make therefore sense only in a certain biological context. In this case great apes, and more specifically homo sapiens.

Ciao

- viole
 

Neb

Active Member
Would love to hear your opinions theories and personal experiences on this question. So what is love Is it real? Is it fake? What's your opinion, what's your theory, what's your experience?
Love is a word with different interpretations. We apply the word love to different things because we all have different meanings of the word love so until we agree on what really is the true meaning of love then love means nothing, it's just a word.
 

TransmutingSoul

One Planet, One People, Please!
Premium Member
Correct, they work with other chemicals.

If Love is only a chemical reaction to preserve and continue life, then consider a Love that compels a person to give up life, if faced with a choice between God and life.

This Love is not a material chemical reaction, as this Love transcends life, the universe and time.

Love is the force that is the cause of creation and thus gives us life. Its cause in this life are the Messengers from God. An example is Jesus the Christ, who is Love and a cause of creation.

Science will discover this cause of Love, which in this passage I see is the 'Universal Attractive Force';

"....Divine and all-encompassing Wisdom hath ordained that motion be an inseparable concomitant of existence, whether inherently or accidentally, spiritually or materially. This movement must be governed by some check or rein, some regulator or director, otherwise order will be disrupted and the spheres and bodies will fall from the heavens. For this reason God brought into being a universal attractive force between these bodies to hold sway over them and govern them, a force deriving from the firm ties, the mighty correspondence and affinity that exist between the realities of these limitless worlds. By the operation of this attractive force those holy and resplendent suns, with their luminous worlds, satellites and planets, circling and orbiting in their heavens, at once exerted attraction and were subject to it, induced motion and were themselves moved, began orbiting and set into orbit other bodies, shone forth and caused others to shine. In this manner they became arranged in a perfectly ordered system, each one a handiwork of consummate fashioning and manifest beauty, each one an enduring creation and a conclusive proof. Glory be to Him Who attracted them, laid firm hold on them, imbued them with effulgence, ordered them and set them in motion; and far from His glory be that which any of his creatures can affirm of Him or attribute to Him....."

Tablet of the Universe

Regards Tony
 

Baladas

An Págánach
Love is just a series of chemical reactions.
It is definitely a series of chemical reactions, but I wouldn't say it's just a series of chemical reactions.
That seems to cheapen what a wonder it is that we've evolved the way that we have (though I'm sure that is not what you intended).

Love can be beautiful, foolish, invigorating and maddening - sometimes all at once.

Nature is amazing. Humanity is amazing, regardless of what one chooses to believe about what might have triggered life or driven our evolution.
I'm in awe at the marvels of nature and all that we continue to learn more about each facet of it.

In fact, to me that is a kind of "spirituality" much like Neil deGrasse Tyson has said.

You beat me to it!
 

LiveByFaithNotSight

The Art Of Conversing
Would love to hear your opinions theories and personal experiences on this question. So what is love Is it real? Is it fake? What's your opinion, what's your theory, what's your experience?
What is Love ?

1 John 4:8
"8 Whoever does not love has not come to know God, because God is love."

So The Scripture Beg question How is God Love? Think About The World He Created for Adam and Eve. A paradise Earth With an Abundance of Delicious Food (Gen 1:29,30) and The Conditions to Live Forever. If we shall just for a moment take a step back just to think about the universe. Jehovah created the universe in perfect order to sustain life on earth. if you change the smallest fraction of anything in this universe life isn't possible. for Example:

Earth’s perfect tilt and spin: Earth’s tilt of about 23.4 degrees causes the annual cycle of seasons, moderates temperatures, and allows for a wide range of climate zones. “Our planet’s tilt axis seems to be ‘just right,’” says the book Rare Earth—Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe. Also “just right” is the length of day and night, a result of earth’s spin. If the speed of rotation were substantially slower, the days would be longer and the side of the earth facing the sun would bake while the other side would freeze. Conversely, if the earth were to spin much faster, the days would be shorter, perhaps just a few hours long, and earth’s rapid spin would cause relentless gale-force winds and other harmful effects.

Now Think about thing neccessary to Sustaining life like water, air, sunlight and so on. Now think about things "nonessential" to sustaining life like the ability to taste so many amazing flavors and to see colors or hear beautiful music. imagine a world without those "nonessential" aspects to life. Clearly a gift from Jehovah to improve our quality of life. Love isn't selfish, Jehovah did all these amazing things for us but what are we able to do for him? let that sink..

1 John 4:19 "
19 We love, because he first loved us."

Remember Jehovah is Love and he set the ultimate example in creating us in the 1st place. There is nothing we can do to repay him or give him back of equal or even close to equal value. Love is Selfless Jehovah is Love. Do you know what the greatest act of Love in Human history?

John 3:16
"16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life."

Adam Disobeyed God and lost the prospect of living forever on a paradise Earth, did this mean Jehovah original purpose was lost for man forever? Remember God is Love, so ofcourse not. Jehovah is called a righteous Judge (Psalms 7:11) and in this legal case a perfect man sinned and we inherited death so a perfect human life was needed to ransom back that original purpose.

1 Corinthians 15:45
"45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

What does Jehovah do he Sacrifice his Son Jesus christ perfect life to buy back something we as imperfect human lost and frankly due to our constant historical disrespect towards God something we dont deserve.

Imagine giving birth to a beautiful baby boy you spend everyday of his childhood teaching loving and building a beautiful bond. Then sending him on death row to free every criminal in the prison after he killed! Could you sacrifice him to free criminals??? That's what Jehovah Did.His Son reflected him so much he willing gave his life. Opening up a provision that one day soon we will get a chance at living on a perfect paradise earth forever.

Psalms 37:9
"29 The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it."

When it comes to different aspects of Love I certain can Point out in God Word the Bible of how Jehovah is Love...

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails"
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
People love just fine. But what do you care about when there is no love to speak of?

I care about a lot, still, when love is not around.

Love is all those positive reasons and happenings, and relations. Care goes deeper.

Feelings are a byproduct of love. But its more the meaning you have in your heart and all the reasons why.

Same with care. There are people i do not love, and i still care for them.

Thats just how i define those things for myself.

I dont rely on feelings so much as meaning. The conception and my approval of what means is something that stays within me, regardless of feelings.

Id be a mood swinging pin ball if i relied on feelings.

Sincerity is what shines through. Levels of commitment. Things that stay with you when feelings aint always there.

There was someone on here who had another type of love or care that i have learned to be very worthwhile. When you have no , care or love for someone you can still practice in principle love or care.
Such as love your enemies. I think it was Deeje, who mentioned love in principle.
 
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metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
So what is love Is it real?
Oh, it's real alright.

But what's so bizarre in my 73 years of existence is that it is so unpredictable. Why is it that I fell in love with a couple of women, one of which I married, and yet didn't fall in love with a couple of others that I dated that I really liked a lot??? I have no clue.
 
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