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 Class Forums - Spring 2012
 PHIL 300-003 - Philosophy of Sex
 What Is Love?		  New Topic  Reply to Topic
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Devon Naples
Fledgling

14 Posts
Posted - Apr 02 2012 :  1:09:51 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Any ideas?

Monica Daly
Fledgling

15 Posts
Posted - Apr 02 2012 :  4:37:12 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I think it varies from relationship to relationship and from circumstance to circumstance. Trying to define it or explain it would be like trying to define rape or sex in a clear cut way. What it might mean to me, because of my relationship status, may not be the same as what it might mean to you or to the rest of our classmates.

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Kasie Sankey
Newcomer

4 Posts
Posted - Apr 02 2012 :  6:34:03 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Love can be many things. It can start off as one thing and change into something completely different. And there are different levels of love too, varying with age and the point a person occupies in his or her life.

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Sergio Cerrillo
Apprentice

28 Posts
Posted - Apr 25 2012 :  11:37:51 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
To be honest, I think that love isn't as complex as we make it seem. Love is a living and breathing thing. We make it real and we make it long-lasting or short-term. It takes time and perserverence to make it work. You can't just give up on it or it will fail. Love means that the person you care for can never be out of your life because his or her absence makes you feel empty. He or she takes up a portion of your heart. For love to work I think three things are necessary: spiritual challenges, mental challenges, physical challenges.

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Tony Aguirre
Fledgling

12 Posts
Posted - Apr 25 2012 :  6:12:11 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Love is balance. It bears reciprocity and commitment to this balance. When the scale tips, it may not be "Love"; it could be lust or infatuation, and/or codependency. If it is love, though, then there is a constant appreciation and continuation of this equilibrium, and that produces a healthy relationship with another.

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Alex Artzer
Apprentice

29 Posts
Posted - Apr 26 2012 :  07:50:07 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I disagree that love isn't complex. I think it is highly complex, and I think that sometimes love means that those you love must be out of your life because you do love them.

I wish I could add something valuable to what I think love is, but I don't really know. There are so many different kinds of love, and people express it in different ways. So I think it is hard to define.

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Tom Trelogan
Forum Admin

1367 Posts
Posted - Apr 26 2012 :  10:02:56 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Monica, Kasie, and Alex: think about what you're saying here!

The fact that something means different things to different people doesn't mean it can't be defined. Chess means different things to different people, and it can certainly be defined.

The fact that something can change doesn't mean it can't be defined. Weight is something that can change, but it can be defined.

And finally, the fact that something is a thing of the sort of which there are many different kinds doesn't mean it can't be defined. There are many different kinds of metal, and even so, metal can be defined.

What's perhaps more troublesome in the case of love is that the word "love" has many different senses, and no single definition will capture the multiple senses of any polysemic word. But even in this sort of case, one needn't throw up one's hands! The strategy to adopt is "divide and conquer": distinguish each of those many senses and work out an appropriate definition for each.

Now, regarding your proposed definitions, Sergio and Tony, they're not all that easy to assess. First, they don't feel much like definitions to me. They seem more like descriptions. But beyond that, can you answer this question for me? You're proposing these definitions as definitions of love in just which of the many senses of the word? Are you sure you aren't talking at cross purposes? Are you sure you have the same thing in mind?
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Sergio Cerrillo
Apprentice

28 Posts
Posted - Apr 26 2012 :  11:49:05 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I suppose that what I've offered is my personal description of what love is. But when you describe something, can it not be defined afterwards? If I were to describe a head cold, would you not be able to define it later? Example: My head is congested, my nose is constantly running, and I have a sore throat. Your first reaction won't be to think you have cancer if you have these symptoms; you would assume that perhaps you have a head cold, thus defining what you had just described. So, my description can help people to define what perhaps they could be feeling towards another. Isn't a definition just a thorough analysis of something? If so, that would mean that it is a solid description. But yes, this is my personal description and definition of what love can be.

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Tony Aguirre
Fledgling

12 Posts
Posted - Apr 26 2012 :  3:49:58 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I understand that there are different senses of the word. I also think that my definition captures the fundamental nature of love. It is a continuous en-deavor to achieve balance, harmony, and reciprocity.

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Tom Trelogan
Forum Admin

1367 Posts
Posted - Apr 26 2012 :  9:31:18 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Tony, when you say you think your definition captures the fundamental nature of love, you must be talking about love in just one of the senses of that word. So tell me: which is it?
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Monica Daly
Fledgling

15 Posts
Posted - Apr 27 2012 :  2:41:18 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Going back to my earlier discussion, maybe I cannot describe love for every relationship I have. I love my parents, I love my dogs, I love my husband, I love my friends, etc. All of these are different kinds of relationships in which I experience love. I love my husband differently from the way in which I love my dogs. Maybe that is more of a description than a definition. If I were to define love in the way I would if I were writing a dictionary, I'd say something like this: a feeling of compassion or devotion; an attachment to something or someone. Of course this is a very basic definition, but simply one that comes to mind.

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Sergio Cerrillo
Apprentice

28 Posts
Posted - Apr 29 2012 :  8:09:08 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
So you would define love as an attachment? Why?
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