Some people have been asking the question, so I wrote something.

rpcrazy

New member
What is love? Some thoughts of mine

Everything here concerns both semantics, and the word/concept of love. Good wiki articles to read: Definitions and Love

The dichotomy of love…​

I believe that “LOVE” cannot be defined intensionally, as it a pervasive word and concept. English speakers all over the world use the term love in different ways, with different meaning. The word itself is based off of many words that have similar meaning but were subjectively distinguished by the users of that language at the time. Now we have one universal word that was once many words, and before that, just a large list of ideas. Yet the question arises billions of times a day…”what does love really mean?” Once a foundation of a subjective and pervasive idea like love has been built by an individual, they use that to define what love is in them, everyone, and/or everything. Once the attributes in that subjective love aren’t there anymore, that person is left wondering, “What is love?”

The reason why one person can say they love but not show all the attributes of love that you may think may be involved is because love can only be defined extensionally. Love is a system, a phenomenon, a genus with differentiae; therefore the definition of love can only be defined by its parts, by its dichotomy. LOVE consists of extensive list of emotions, involving another person or thing.

The main part of love is Care. Care is concern, interest, and affection for a person place or thing. Essentially all of these words have the same genus, but are differentiae of care and parts of “love”. Concern is care, relative to a positive or negative effect. Interest is care relative to a person’s personality and state of being. Affection is care, relative to a person’s (subjectively) good will towards a person place or thing. These are CORE concepts in care, and what love is all about. All of these things are subjective, and branch out into an infinite amount of emotional possibilities based on an infinite amount of real world events and applications.

For example:
“I love you” defined extensionally is:

^^^”I care for you in all these ways for all these reasons…”^^^

^^^”I am this much (subjective quantitative value) concerned for you for this many (subjective) reasons; I am this much (subjective quantitative value) interest in you for this many (subjective) reasons; I have this much (subjective quantitative value) affection for you for this many (subjective) reasons”^^^

^^^”I have an (subjective) infinite amount of emotions about real or imagined issues with your life and human experience for an infinite amount of reasons; I have an (subjective) infinite amount of feelings, urges, and behavioral compulsions that involve your life and human experience for an infinite amount of reasons; I have an (subjective) infinite amount of feelings, urges, and behavioral compulsions that affect your life and human experience in a (subjectively) positive way for an infinite amount of reasons.^^^

A subjective amount of the ideas listed above is needed for “love” to be qualified in life. This is why so many people are asking the question; why everyone seems to differ on their belief of what love is. Yet it’s such a universal concept; why generally, people who are together can be considered to “love each other”. These concepts, their qualitative and quantitative amounts and reasons, are real within each and every one of us.

”My love…isn’t your love”

“I love you” says A LOT. So maybe next time you say those 3 “magical” words, think about if you want to elaborate on it, or keep it a mystical romantic mystery to the person it’s being said to :)



Peace and love,
-Gabe
 
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