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What IS love?

FearTheMateria

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It's been a LONG time since I last posted here... So I thought i;d make a thread on something simple and from the heart yet as complex as the human mind.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary said:
Main Entry: 1love
Pronunciation: \ˈləv\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to please
Date: before 12th century
1 a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties <maternal love for a child> (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests <love for his old schoolmates> b : an assurance of love <give her my love>
2 : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion <love of the sea>
3 a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration <baseball was his first love> b (1) : a beloved person : darling —often used as a term of endearment (2) British —used as an informal term of address
4 a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person's adoration of God
What is love to you? Can this dictionary entrance REALLY ACCURATELY describe what it is?


Why or why not? It's ok to show emotion; it's love we are talking about!
 

Dre89

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I found that the main two schools of thought centred around the ideas that love is found someone in a 'second self', the other being that love is emphasised through difference and separation.
 

Sucumbio

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What is love to you? Can this dictionary entrance REALLY ACCURATELY describe what it is?

Why or why not?
I believe it can. That dictionary entry pretty much covers all the various ways in which the word "love" could be used.

Then there's this popular quote from scripture:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I personally believe love to be the ultimate expression of adoration. But something should be said about how Love is not necessarily benign or without negative consequence. This would be where people try to draw a line between love and lust, for example (definition (2) : attraction based on sexual desire). Or more simply "True Love" vs Love. If one were for example to violate the definition from 1 Corinthians would they truly "love" or be "in love" or would it be some perversion of this.
 

Sieguest

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I feel it's a yes and no type thing. Yes in that the dictionary can ascertain certain attributes that are associated with love. No in that it can't capture the actual feeling.

Lets say you have a girl/boyfriend whom you love. The dictionary can tell what love is physically. The attraction you have to this girl/boy who shares the same attraction towards you. But it can't tell you just how many beats your heart rate increases every time you see her or why you start randomly sweating whenever you think of her. The emotional response one haves while they're in love is much deeper than the surface level the dictionary describes it on. It can't detail the intensity of your love for someone.
 

KrazyGlue

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I think there are different kinds of love too. Loving a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend is different than the way you love your parents, which is different than the way you love a close friend. Love can also mean different things to different people. I also agree with ShadoKupo's assessment.
 

Bob Jane T-Mart

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It's interesting that the OP uses the word "describe". The dictionary doesn't describe, it defines. I don't think the dictionary is a descriptive book. It cannot describe all the intricacies and details of virtually every concept in human knowledge. Love I believe, is an especially complicated feeling, that probably differs from person to person, so the dictionary will not be able to adequately describe that.

Let's take the concept of an atom, does the dictionary describe how it all fits together? The actual electron clouds, and how ambiguous they are along with how the protons and neutrons are fitted together in the centre of the atom. I think you get the picture. No.

Love is basically an extension of that, in this case. The dictionary cannot describe everything you feel.
 

thegreatkazoo

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I am most proud that no one said "Baby, don't hurt me."
Don't tempt me, homes. :evil:

Saw on ABC News that scientists are measuring the effects of the brain between couples that go through long trials together. The couple rode on a bike all throughout Africa and measured there brains before and after the trip.

Turns out they looked like they loved each other less according to the MRI, but they said they felt no different.

Thoughts?

(The link is readily available on the World News site)
 

Genexican

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Love (to me) is just as simple as when two people like each other enough to want to live the rest of their lives with each other.
 

Booster

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The intense need to want to have sex or as properly put scientifically (Modern science), the Intense need to **** somebody in the ass
 

Claire Diviner

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Pretty much what Dre. said. My girlfriend and I have some similarities, sure, but we have far more differences, and it's those differences that really attract us. Yes, I will admit, we do butt heads over those differences as well (what couple doesn't?), but at the end of the day, we compliment one another by having a trait the other needs. Also, being very comfortable around one another, this includes having a nonchalant conversation while the other is sitting on the "John", means you're not self-conscious around your loved one. They love you to the point of accepting you for you, damn what you look like, or what your habits may be. As the saying goes, "opposites attract".

The intense need to want to have sex or as properly put scientifically (Modern science), the Intense need to **** somebody in the ***
Why did you feel the need to post that?
 

Platsy

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To me, love is the feeling of wanting to spend your life with a specific person, no matter what the conditions may be. You could be completely different in terms of personality, but there's that one spark that psychologically connects you to them. It combines the attraction to them both physically and emotionally, even if one of the 2 may occasionally be more prevalent than the other. You may have your arguments, but you know that you can overcome them for the sake of being together. You're willing to sacrifice your own time to be with them.

At the same time however, it could also be used to describe your enjoyment of a certain hobby or item (I.E: I love this new game I got!). It all depends on context, really.

As for the dictionary, their definitions aim to be as understandable as possible while being extremely narrow. So for what it is, it's alright.
 

Holder of the Heel

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I'm not entirely sure how this is a debate topic, it isn't really something you can argue and acquire any truth out of aside from knowing what others think. I'll chip in my broad view of it though.

You love something insofar it is associated with your self. Your ego, your consciousness and subconsciousness, your ideas and feelings. Even the things you hate and despise. Only the things that are without principle or experience in your own little world are excluded.

Schopenhauer says Will to Live, Nietzsche says Will to Power, I say Will to Love.
 
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After giving it some more thought I think I agree with the textbook definition wholeheartedly. If it ever starts to expand beyond that it will be adjusted in future.
 

Remo

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The definition of love and how a single person represents the feeling of love is entirely different.
That much I can say.
Love is going to be different from person to person!
 

LarsINTJ

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Truth is binary, not a continuum.
Love is an involuntary positive response to virtue if you are virtuous - not very complicated, although it does require a clear definition for what virtue is. The most important aspects of virtue are honesty, courage and rationality.

Don't mix it up with lust, the biological response that provokes reproduction among individuals of particular physical standards (obviously).
 
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Johnny Heart Gold

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Ok... now time to be serious, for you what is love? You think Love is something that can be really reciprocal? You think humans are the only ones to feel love? or it's just an instinct? You believe in love more than the one of your family?

Here in México for example we have 2 words for 2 types of love "Te quiero" is more to friends, partners and some close people, "Te amo" is more to the classic I love you like a couple, and sometimes family. What's are your ideas of love?
 

yttik

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"What people call 'love' is just a chemical reaction that compells animals to breed. It hits hard Morty, then it slowly fades, leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. I did it, your parents are gonna do it, break the cycle Morty, rise above, focus on science."

:sheep:
 

Ipskies

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Love is a complex idea because it's really much more than a single, simplistic emotion. Ergo, you can't exactly explain it in a sentence or two.

I would relate defining love to defining colors. How do you describe the color blue? You could describe the emotion of seeing blue, a variety of things that are blue, or even teach the science behind how colors are emitted. But essentially, you can't truly understand a color until you've seen it yourself. IMHO, love is essentially the same way.
 

Downdraft

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Personally, I believe young adults and children misuse the word 'love' when they say it to one another. Adults do too. I've had several past friends, current friends, and neighbors tell me they love me, but they're all the same when it comes to giving me signs that they actually care. My mother is the only person that regularly contacts me, and she is one of two people whose love I don't question. I don't understand how you can love someone in this technological era, yet never text, call, email, write, or visit that person? Is it too much of an inconvenience to keep in contact with your loved ones? How hard is it to give one's loved ones occasional reminders that one cares about them? People tell me they love me, but then they just disappear or go on with their lives as if I don't hold a special place in their hearts.

I try to avoid telling other people I love them unless it's expected. e.g. an older person or relative telling me they love me then expecting an "I love you" in response. The word can cause me sadness when it's supposed to evoke happiness. I doubt I'm the only person here that doesn't feel loved or appreciated.
 

TRJV

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Real love, as Theologian-that-I-can't-remember-whose-name-is put it, is to want the good of the other, as other.
Meaning, to want good for a person, for the sake of that person.
 
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Sucumbio

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"In real love you want the other person's good. In romantic love you want the other person." - Margaret Anderson
 
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