Does love exist...

[DudeistBelieve]

Once again, in a series of posts where I ask you strangers about humanity to hopefully get a fresh point of view... Tonight, lets talk love.


So the question is, is Rick right? That the whole human experience of love and relationships can just be summed down to different chemicals in the brain. And if that's the case, is there any reason at all in pursuing something that isn't really real?

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Eh all emotions are chemicals and brain shit. What else could it be, some kind of magic that effects our behavior but is utterly invisible to current notice? Doesn't make them any less real for us. Chemicals in the brain and whatnot are what make us happy, satisfied, etc. It's not less real because there's not some extra magical force involved. Everything that's real boils down to the same kind of stuff.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Heh I forgot he talked love in a scientific way and that episode was before the Unity episode.

OT- Yes he is right (in fact emotions are also the result of chemicals in the brain too) and so what if it's not real per say? Ignorant is a bliss.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Heh I forgot he talked love in a scientific way and that episode before the Unity episode.

OT- Yes he is right (in fact emotions are also the result of chemicals in the brain too) and so what if it's not real per say? Ignorant is a bliss.

Just jumping off from that, so if you've learned too much, you're essentially fucked.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

It's still a stupid argument. Is it just chemical reactions in the brain? Sure, but so is everything else you do. I've heard plenty of bitter people on this site make that argument, but never 'Oh, I don't play videogames, dopamine is just a chemical!'. You're a sack of chemicals, you better learn to love chemicals.

Understanding the mechanism behind something makes it no less beautiful- Are sunsets less beautiful now we know it's a colossal ball of plasma, flying through space, and we're just spinning around it? Not at all! It's just more amazing.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

It's still a stupid argument. Is it just chemical reactions in the brain? Sure, but so is everything else you do. I've heard plenty of bitter people on this site make that argument, but never 'Oh, I don't play videogames, dopamine is just a chemical!'. You're a sack of chemicals, you better learn to love chemicals.

Understanding the mechanism behind something makes it no less beautiful- Are sunsets less beautiful now we know it's a colossal ball of plasma, flying through space, and we're just spinning around it? Not at all! It's just more amazing.

And really all our motivations boil down to chemical stuff. Personally I say "Cool" and "So what?" to those who think it makes a difference in whether I should act on it or not. It's weird but some people seem to think there is some purely logical motivation that is separate from this stuff.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I'm gonna parrot what most of the people here say, yes love is a chemical reaction in the brain, but so is every single thing we are able to perceive. That of course includes all emotions that we feel, every thought we have, and really even our ability to perform scientific experiments and observe the results. In fact everything we experience is a chemical reaction in the brain, because that's how the human brain works. So everything we see, hear, feel, taste, smell, or experience in anyway is the result of a chemical reaction in the brain, because that's how our brains process the universe around us. Our entire lives are just series complicated chemical reactions that we define as being "life", as is the life of anything we classify as "living".

Does that mean the emotions we feel like love aren't real? Fuck no! We're all chemical reactions all the time so emotion is just as real as anything else.

I will say that the line "love is a chemical reaction in the brain designed to compel animals to breed" is a load of steaming bullshit and piss fries though. Why? Because I'm asexual and I don't want to breed, nor am I able. I still form love based relationships with people, from non-sexual romantic relationships to bonds of friendship. So love exists as an emotion that is meant to strengthen cooperation and community amongst humans, which is a good thing.

 

[Zombie_Fish]

How is a bunch of different chemicals in the brain not real? Surely us being able to make connections between emotions and actual chemical reactions makes it "real" in some sense of the word.

Even if you think that love being some chemicals in the brain makes it not real, should we stop pursuing other chemical balances then? Happiness, creativity, inspiration and intelligence are all just different chemicals too, yet I've never heard anyone say that we shouldn't bother trying to be happy in our lives.

 

[JoJo]

Heh I forgot he talked love in a scientific way and that episode before the Unity episode.

OT- Yes he is right (in fact emotions are also the result of chemicals in the brain too) and so what if it's not real per say? Ignorant is a bliss.

Just jumping off from that, so if you've learned too much, you're essentially fucked.

Not necessarily, once you pull back the curtain of reality and find out the truth that nothing really matters, you can then be free to do whatever you like. No heaven, no hell, no consequences beyond what happens on this Earth. Knowing what creates the feeling of love doesn't make it any less entrancing when you're cuddling up with that special someone.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Heh I forgot he talked love in a scientific way and that episode before the Unity episode.

OT- Yes he is right (in fact emotions are also the result of chemicals in the brain too) and so what if it's not real per say? Ignorant is a bliss.

Just jumping off from that, so if you've learned too much, you're essentially fucked.

Not necessarily, once you pull back the curtain of reality and find out the truth that nothing really matters, you can then be free to do whatever you like. No heaven, no hell, no consequences beyond what happens on this Earth. Knowing what creates the feeling of love doesn't make it any less entrancing when you're cuddling up with that special someone.

In a way I find that very freeing and it makes acting on it feel more genuine in a way. I do it because I want to knowing full well that it's just chemicals. But fuck that, I like it and want it anyways.

 

[Thaluikhain]

On the one had, it's all chemicals in the brain, yeah.

On the other hand, so is everything else...excepting that we don't understand the nature of the soul, the hard question, and something something philosophical zombies.

So...um...yeah, bit grey there.

 

[Fat Hippo]

So what you're REALLY saying is...


Oh, and that chemical stuff. Also, there is no objective morality and probably no god. So just roll with it and accept whatever your body is telling you. It's the only truth, or the only one you'll ever experience anyway.

 

[LetalisK]

I learned from ponies that friendship is magic, so that must make love divine power.

Conversely, I learned from Captain Planet that it's the consolation prize of powers.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Yeah love is chemicals, that actually makes it more real in my mind than some abstract concept that can't be explained. Heartbreak after love is also caused by the withdrawal of said chemicals (which causes other chemicals associated with negative emotions).

Does this mean that love isn't worth pursuing? I don't personally think so.
Some people who don't feel love is worth pursing may be avoiding it because of fear of heartbreak, which still means chemicals are governing their actions.

I find it fascinating that my SO sleeps more soundly when I'm around and of course, I want to be around him to help him sleep soundly and I miss him when we're apart.

--------

I'm more interested in the differences between what starts out as a chemical rush (infatuation) vs what becomes pair bonding (long term love), what the process is between one stage to the next, whether humans are supposed to pair bond, whether infatuation is required to form a lasting relationship later (do we need a "spark"). Is it possible to skip stages? Is it possible for hormones associated with long term love (such as oxytocin and vasopressin), which are typically released during sex, to be released in non-sex acts (so whether sex is vital to having a long term relationship or not).

 

[sageoftruth]

It's still a stupid argument. Is it just chemical reactions in the brain? Sure, but so is everything else you do. I've heard plenty of bitter people on this site make that argument, but never 'Oh, I don't play videogames, dopamine is just a chemical!'. You're a sack of chemicals, you better learn to love chemicals.

Understanding the mechanism behind something makes it no less beautiful- Are sunsets less beautiful now we know it's a colossal ball of plasma, flying through space, and we're just spinning around it? Not at all! It's just more amazing.

Sometimes yes, it is less amazing. Some things are far more interesting when you're left guessing and only have your imagination to fill the void. It definitely shows in stuff like horror media. Things are much more intense when you're thinking "What the hell's going on?". Then you hear, "It's aliens" or "It's a monster" or "It's your imagination" and all of the tension fades away. I think Yahtzee talked about it in his review of Condemned 2.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Well... I love my dog.

And as far I know that has nothing to do procreation (I hope), I just love the son of a *****.

 

[IOwnTheSpire]

I'll offer a different perspective than the rest of this thread so far, because I honestly don't believe things like love, emotion, feelings, consciousness, and the whole human experience in general is just a result of chemicals in our bodies. I think there's something there, which I'll admit I can't explain, but I'd be lying if I suggested I believe otherwise, and it's as real to me as the objects on my desk, and it irks me that some people might suggest I'm delusional or something like that. I think insisting on our life experiences just being chemicals and chemical reactions is a close-minded point of view, and a lot of people who claim to love science are often those who have a fixed idea of what the world is and refuse to alter that perception or consider any other explanation (like many religious people do).

 

[Zontar]

Love is being comfortable with another person while you're using the toilet.