trc@houca.UUCP (T.CRAVER) (09/02/83)
What does it mean to say "I love X"? Not "What does it mean to fall in love", but what is love? I claim that it is not some mystical thing, and that it is more than an emotion. Love is a state of mind with an emotional coloring. The state of mind is that of valuing the other, the fundamental emotion is pleasure. (The often spoken of "heartaches of love" is actually one's sense of deprivation of the pleasure of the other, when parted, or when the other doesnt love one. The pleasure is still fundamental - without its possibility, one would not have the pain.) When one says "I love - 'that old house', 'my new car', 'ice cream', 'my family', 'my wife'", isnt one saying "I highly value - 'that old house', etc, and it gives me pleasure by its existance and relationship to me"? It is one consequence of loving that one will want to *act* in a loving manner. However, one should not confuse the actions with the motivation. Acting loving does not imply that one loves. Tom Craver houti!trc