philosophy talk: on love

what is love? does it exist?

Love is a driving force in everyday life. Love affects every person on this planet. Love can be expressed in a multitude of ways, and can be defined and exchanged in many ways as well. In this paper, I will explore the concept of love and whether or not it exists.

            Love is defined as “an intense feeling of deep affection” as well as “a general expression of positive sentiment”. Love is “commonly contrasted with hate or lust” and can refer to friends, family, and romantic partners. Love is not only a feeling; it is also an action, as well as a broad spectrum. Love means something different to everyone. Individual’s conceptions of love may differ depending on who or what they are referring to. For example, when one says, “I love pizza”, that is very different from saying “I love my mom”. That is where the spectrum comes in.

There are ranges of love, from loving a food or activity to loving a friend or a romantic partner. Ancient Greek has four words for the four different types of love they noticed. The first is agape, meaning unconditional love. The second is philia, meaning “brotherly love”, or the kind of love shared amongst friends. The third is eros, meaning intimate or sexual passion. The fourth is storge, meaning natural empathy, commonly among family members or close friends. The Greeks recognized that love as an emotion extends to many situations. The love for ones sister is different than the love for ones partner. The love for a sport is different than ones love for their favorite tea.

Love can be broken down into the feeling of affection as well as the feeling of pleasure. One may love ice cream because it brings them pleasure because they love the taste. One may love their friend because they can exchange affection as well as gain pleasure from their company. Love as affection is different from lust. Lust is a “very strong sexual desire” for another. Affection and pleasure do not necessarily have to be sexual. When one loves rather than lusts, they care for the well being of the other person regardless of any type of eros love. One can have eros love for their partner without it being lust. Lust typically describes a short-term relationship, whereas love is a long-term feeling committed to a specific person.

The feeling of love can be explained as a chemical reaction in the brain. That reaction helps explain why one might feel a certain way towards another. This reaction can make it hard for one to stop doing or associating with things that one loves. This is also a reason that one can become attached to certain things that they love. For example, if one has had a stuffed animal since they were young, they may feel a deep emotional connection to the toy. This attachment comes from love. Someone they love may have given it to them, or they might associate the toy with love, or they might actually love the toy. This attachment can also be felt towards a person, animal, or place. The chemical reactions in the brain associate the person, place, or thing with love and deep emotional connections. These emotional connections can lead to other emotions. For example, one may grow jealous when other people look at their partner or when their partner gives other people attention. These other emotional all stem from the feeling of love.

Love is often expressed as a virtue. Love as a virtue can be defined as “representing human kindness, compassion, and affection”. Love is “unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another”. When one selflessly cares about the well being of another, it is considered a virtue. Having love for others is revered in many cultures and religions. This love may be considered different from the chemical reaction of love that one feels when they see their partner. Love for others may not necessarily release chemicals in the brain. Instead, it gives one the feeling of helping another. While loving others can produce a positive reaction, one does not necessarily act for that reaction, which makes them virtuous.

Love exists. It is impossible to deny the emotional feeling of love that people experience. The emotional connection that one feels to their family and friends is an obvious sign of love. People discuss when they fell in love with their partner, the sport they play, and their career. Love is a vast topic covered through literature, movies, music, religions, and cultures. If love did not exist, there would not be so many works based around art. There is an entire genre entitled ‘romance’ that encompasses love. If love did not exist, this genre would not be relatable, and would not sell very well.

There is no other way to explain the connections and intense feelings one has when they love someone or something. Love is one of the biggest motivators based upon feelings. Love is considered to be the opposite of hate and lust. If one states that love doesn’t exist, then they are saying that both hate and lust do not exist, or that there is no opposition to lust and hate. Science has proven that chemical reactions in the brain occur when someone sees or experiences something that one loves. Brain scans have been done and show that dopamine is released when individuals see things or people that they love. This in itself, along with other accounts, proves that love exists, and is prevalent in everyday life.