Does love exist?

11of101

Apart from the cocktail of endorphins, hormones and oxytocin - does love exist?

token56

You need to define what you mean by love first.

doctoremma

11of101 wrote: »

Apart from the cocktail of endorphins, hormones and oxytocin - does love exist?

Endorphins and oxytocin ARE hormones. But anyway, apart from chemicals, no.

ETA: accounting for the above comment, my definition of love is that it is a somewhat high-minded description of aforementioned chemical mayhem.

Beruthiel

11of101 wrote: »

Apart from the cocktail of endorphins, hormones and oxytocin - does love exist?

We're ugly bags of mostly water (according to some). The rest made up of bits 'n' pieces.
If you care for someone and what to spend time in their company, why question it further than that?
If you wish, you can put a word on wanting to spend time in someone's company. Let's call it Love.

magicbastarder

do walls exist?

magicbastarder

apart from the cocktail of bricks, mortar and foundations, i mean.

Sarky

It's purely a process mediated by interaction between a few thousand chemicals and your own brain's preferences for pattern-recognition. But that doesn't mean it's not also amazing beyond words.

ntlbell

Beruthiel wrote: »

We're ugly bags of mostly water (according to some). The rest made up of bits 'n' pieces.
If you care for someone and what to spend time in their company, why question it further than that?
If you wish, you can put a word on wanting to spend time in someone's company. Let's call it Love.

I'm not sure your child/ren would be happy with your views on love.

Regardless of this, I'm not sure what love has to do with not believing in religion and why the question was asked here?

robindch

11of101 wrote: »

Apart from the cocktail of endorphins, hormones and oxytocin - does love exist?

Geese exist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0czs_OtqrLA

Gbear

To me it's just like asking does taste, disbelief or confusion exist.

They're all ways in which our nifty computer in our head processes external stimuli.

Dave!

Not as some disembodied, nebulous, active "force" in the universe, no.

Defiler Of The Coffin

Yes. I feel it in the deep heart's core.

Turtwig

Yes but I prefer to call it what it really is : a biploar disorder.

WolfgangWeisen

I'm not sure what the question has to do with atheism, however instead of thinking of an answer my mind has only been able to think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6g-Vh4vcD0

For that I thank you, 11of101

MrStuffins

What is love??

baby don't hurt me....................

MrStuffins

MrStuffins wrote: »

What is love??

baby don't hurt me....................

i was trying to resist posting it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVmbhYKDKfU

now im listening to it :rolleyes:

*shakes fist*

MrStuffins

bluewolf wrote: »

now im listening to it :rolleyes:

*shakes fist*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILt5HZnPz5o

Zillah

11of101 wrote: »

Apart from the cocktail of endorphins, hormones and oxytocin - does love exist?

Yes. Love exists as an energetic force of harmonious vibrations in the metaphysical substrate of the universe. When two matched souls encounter each other on earth their energy fields merge with synergistic emanations and open a conduit to this metaphysical substrate, simultaneously filling them and the world with the white light we call "love".

I should write a book of this shite.

WolfgangWeisen

bluewolf wrote: »

i was trying to resist posting it

Re-posting it, you mean

Sofaspud

I think Justin Hawkins said it best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGPyUSVtpZM

18AD

Hormonal cocktail is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate,
Hate of my sin, grounded on sinful hormonal cocktailing,
O, but with mine, compare thou thine own state,
And thou shalt find it merits not reproving,
Or if it do, not from those lips of thine
That have profaned their scarlet ornaments
And sealed false bonds of hormonal cocktail as oft as mine,
Robbed others' beds' revenues of their rents.
Be it lawful I hormonal cocktail thee as thou hormonal cocktail'st those
Whom thine eyes woo as mine importune thee.
Root pity in thy heart, that when it grows
Thy pity may deserve to pitied be.
If thou dost seek to have what thou dost hide,
By self-example mayst thou be denied!

Hormonal cocktail is my sin - The revised scientific version.
Sonnet 142
by William Shakespeare

The Mad Hatter

Pain doesn't exist, except for chemical reactions in the brain. Therefore, if I hit you, it doesn't really hurt?

MrStuffins

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Pain doesn't exist, except for chemical reactions in the brain. Therefore, if I hit you, it doesn't really hurt?

I don't think you quite get it.

Nobody is saying love doesn't exist? Just that it isn't some sort of mysterious cosmic or magical force

Gregor Samsa

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Yes. I feel it in the deep heart's core.

That sounds like atheromatous plaque.

Declan Lander

MrStuffins wrote: »

What is love??

You don't really love anything, including your children, partner, parents etc. It's all a mere chemical illusion.

It's akin to the sky fairy brigade talking about their 'faith.'

Thankfully, Science is clear, it's a useful chemical secretion in the brain, just like the reaction to eating chocolate, nothing more nothing less. (and I love chocolate). The worms that eat your corpse will also 'love' eating you. The point to life is there is no point. You're here by random chance, to breed like the rest of the plants and animals, and then die off to make way for the next crop.
That's it.

Mark Hamill

Declan Lander wrote: »

You don't really love anything, including your children, partner, parents etc. It's all a mere chemical illusion.

But if those chemicals do exist, and they are what accounts for love, then love does exists, its just that love is those chemicals enacting in a certain specific way, in a rare environment that allows for it rather than some wishy-washy, predetermined mystical bs.

Logical Fallacy

Declan Lander wrote: »

You don't really love anything, including your children, partner, parents etc. It's all a mere chemical illusion.

It's akin to the sky fairy brigade talking about their 'faith.'

Thankfully, Science is clear, it's a useful chemical secretion in the brain, just like the reaction to eating chocolate, nothing more nothing less. (and I love chocolate). The worms that eat your corpse will also 'love' eating you. The point to life is there is no point. You're here by random chance, to breed like the rest of the plants and animals, and then die off to make way for the next crop.
That's it.

The chemicals are real, their interaction is real. That's like saying that any aspect of your physical health that is closely tied to hormonal levels is an illusion, that is to say, your post is stupid.

Declan Lander

Mark Hamill wrote: »

But if those chemicals do exist, and they are what accounts for love, then love does exists, its just that love is those chemicals enacting in a certain specific way, in a rare environment that allows for it rather than some wishy-washy, predetermined mystical bs.

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

The chemicals are real, their interaction is real. That's like saying that any aspect of your physical health that is closely tied to hormonal levels is an illusion, that is to say, your post is stupid.

There is no 'love' lads, it's just a term for a chemical release in the brain, deal with the scientific fact and get over it. You don't 'love' anything, your brain seeks the chemicals in the way it seeks drugs/dope, thats it.

Sarky

I'm not convinced you know much about love, drugs or neurochemistry.

28064212

Declan Lander wrote: »

There is no 'love' lads, it's just a term for a chemical release in the brain, deal with the scientific fact and get over it. You don't 'love' anything, your brain seeks the chemicals in the way it seeks drugs/dope, thats it.

Does anger exist? What about happiness?

Declan Lander

28064212 wrote: »

Does anger exist? What about happiness?

Animal instincts like 'love' > chemicals released to ensure your biologocal purpose is reached like any other organisms, i.e. eat, reporoduce and die to make way for the next crop. The worms that eat your corpse will be 'happy' and 'love' it, they will be 'angry' if they don't get to dig through to it. It's all basic science lads, keep the spirtual mumbo jumbo fairy myth notions out of it.

28064212

Declan Lander wrote: »

Animal instincts like 'love' > chemicals released to ensure your biologocal purpose is reached like any other organisms, i.e. eat, reporoduce and die to make way for the next crop. The worms that eat your corpse will be 'happy' and 'love' it, they will be 'angry' if they don't get to dig through to it. It's all basic science lads, keep the spirtual mumbo jumbo fairy myth notions out of it.

You didn't answer the question. Does anger exist?

Turtwig

Declan Lander wrote: »

Animal instincts like 'love' > chemicals released to ensure your biologocal purpose is reached like any other organisms, i.e. eat, reporoduce and die to make way for the next crop. The worms that eat your corpse will be 'happy' and 'love' it, they will be 'angry' if they don't get to dig through to it. It's all basic science lads, keep the spirtual mumbo jumbo fairy myth notions out of it.

I'm beginning to suspect a re-reg here. . .

Mickeroo

11of101

11of101 wrote: »

Apart from the cocktail of endorphins, hormones and oxytocin - does love exist?

Is that......


......Hugh?

Galvasean

Declan Lander wrote: »

There is no 'love' lads, it's just a term for a chemical release in the brain, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

There is no 'life' lads, it's just a term for a chemical reaction in the planet, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

Logical Fallacy

Declan Lander wrote: »

There is no 'love' lads, it's just a term for a chemical release in the brain, deal with the scientific fact and get over it. You don't 'love' anything, your brain seeks the chemicals in the way it seeks drugs/dope, thats it.

You are just saying the same thing, not delving any further into your theory that there is no "love". You seem to be reducing it to a chemical level, which absolutely everything is from a human point of view so that is hardly a valid argument.

It's basically like sitting there saying there is no such thing as language, just a series of various sounds that by consensus have meaning.

"Love" being the result of chemical release due to certain stimulus doesn't diminish it in the slightest...you strike me as that most depressing kind of person to talk to, the one for whom simple understanding reduces somethings interest and appeal.

What about fear, anger, pride. All just chemicals. Flowers and plants are little more than temporary geometric organic structures on their way to rot. The dawn is nothing more than a temporary interaction between energy at certain wavelengths interacting with atmospherics fluids in suspension.

**** me but your life must be remarkably dull.

18AD

Galvasean wrote: »

There is no 'life' lads, it's just a term for a chemical reaction in the planet, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

There is no 'message' lads, it's just a term for a binary sequence in the computer, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

Stercus Accidit

18AD wrote: »

There is no 'message' lads, it's just a term for a binary sequence in the computer, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

There is no <thing> lads, it's just a term for <definition of thing>, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

Dave!

I think ye have made the point at this stage

Galvasean

Dave! wrote: »

I think ye have made the point at this stage

MOAR COMPARISONS!!!!! :mad:

Mark Hamill

Galvasean wrote: »

MOAR COMPARISONS!!!!! :mad:

There is no spoon lads, it's just a construct inside the matrix, deal with the scientific fact and get over it...

18AD

There is no 'limit' lads, it's just a term for no no, no no, no no, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

MrStuffins

There is no "Diggidy" lads, it's just a term for how the Blackstreet lads like the way "she" works it and how they'd like to bag "it" up, deal with the scientific fact and get over it lads.

Turtwig

There is no 'try' lads it's just a term for those who neither did nor didn't.

doctoremma

There are no 'surprises', lads, it's just a term to describe the specific chemical cocktail you feel as your astronaut helmet slowly and inexplicably fills up with water, deal with the scientific fact and get over it.

Sarky

Stop it! You're destroying my world view!

raah!

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

The chemicals are real, their interaction is real. That's like saying that any aspect of your physical health that is closely tied to hormonal levels is an illusion, that is to say, your post is stupid.

Haven't quoted this particular one for any reason, but since the rest were just jokes: This is a terrible piece of reasoning. The emotions might be real, but if they are just emotions then the term love is no longer suitable to describe them and love therefore does not exist.

A similar example you see happening is when atheists try to say that they have spiritual experiences, and come up with similar gems of reasoning like: "there are spiritual experiences, they just have nothing to do with spirits".

So from a materialistic perspective, the term love is no longer suitable to describe "a cocktail of emotions" OP understands this, as well as anyone else who ever uses the term, though people might like to continue to use it to describe something in an attempt to keep a sense of the former 'whatever' which was attached to the original meaning.

Sarky

Seriously: what?