Is love Iogical ?

Mods this may belong in skunk works if so ? Zip it on over there if you will ?

Today, we will look at mans ability to make love illogical decisions work for himself and his fellow man. Take the man who logically would sacrifice himself for the many. A man who would jump on the hand grenade to save his friends ?
Is it really a logical thing to do seeing that he upon his death will no longer have his friends ? Yet out of love there are many that would do something so illogical. So if love is not logical ? Does that mean when we say," God is love"
we are saying God is not logical ? If God is not logical ? What does that say for logic ?

What about the many that would sacrifice themselves for the good of one ? I hope this isn't to confusing as I'm interested in seeing some good responses.

Is love logical ? If not does that make God illogical? Should human beings toss logic altogether ?

Well, from some point I suppose it could be, but the "logic" of love is changeable.

Many of these ideological things as Love, compassion and mercy can be logic in some situations and illogical in others.

To someone starving in Africa love to the point of self sacrifice may be illogical.

But to someone living in abundance it may not be.

Just as mercy is a trait of the strong, much the same way it can also be seen as weakness...

its all in perspective, your own, and in that of others.

And lastly I don't see how adding god to the equation changes things...

If love were logical...I'd have never married the bozo I divorced.....

Des

reply to post by randyvs


That decision to sacrifice yourself to save many others is logical as long as you look at it from a survival of the specie over an individual sense. Cooperation in things like hunting and altruism in things like a mother sacrificing her own health or happiness for a child is part of how humans have become successfully as a species in the first place.

I can't help with the god bit I'm afraid

Impressive answers from some of our finest members. I'm intrigued.

Destiny

Been through two divorces myself. Love can for sure be illogical unless I see that it prepared me for the third. A wonderful woman I have now.

reply to post by randyvs



What's the difference between logical and rational?

We come to a logical conclusion without using emotions. We come to a rational conclusion with emotions.

Love doesn't require logic, but that's not to say logic is infallible and that we should throw out love - that would be irrational.

I have two answers

First, love is a biological event, a mix of hormones. Pure and simple. It is an emotion designed to help protect and continue our species.

Second, love is an emotion. Emotions and logic are, IMO, opposites. What I might choose to do after a deliberate calculation is logical. How I act in a moment of crisis is emotional.

Originally posted by smyleegrl

It is an emotion designed to help

Are you suggesting there is a designer ?

Originally posted by randyvs
Originally posted by smyleegrl

It is an emotion designed to help

Are you suggesting there is a designer ?

edit on 16-5-2012 by randyvs because: (no reason given)

I don't know. Perhaps it simply evolved that way. For example, those men who loved their family and therefore protected them increased the likelihood that love would be passed on to the next generation.

Originally posted by randyvs
So if love is not logical ? Does that mean when we say," God is love"
we are saying God is not logical ? If God is not logical ?

On Time
And an astronomer said, "Master, what of Time?"
And he answered:
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.
And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
Who among you does not feel that his power to love is boundless?
And yet who does not feel that very love, though boundless, encompassed within the centre of his being, and moving not form love thought to love thought, nor from love deeds to other love deeds?
And is not time even as love is, undivided and placeless?
But if in you thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons,
And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran www-personal.umich.edu...

reply to post by nii900


All I can say is that was beautiful. With starry eyes.

reply to post by randyvs


The problem is that nothing in your OP is a "logical" problem/question...you are confusing "logical" with "rational" or "reasonable".

The decision to jump on a grenade or not is a rational decision, not a logical decision.

Logic deals with a absolutes...reasoning does not. Two different people will have two different answers to the question if they should sacrafice themselves by jumping on a gernade to save others...if it was a true logical problem...there is only one correct answer.

So is love "logical"...no...because there is no one answer. Is God logical...I would think so.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


A most excellent reply Outrkast. Thank you.

oops

reply to post by randyvs

My dictionary says logical means "Capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning." Disregarding the mathematical definition (more strict), I'll go with that.

And beyond that, I assume you mean to say Is love based on sound reasoning?

Einstein said love is understanding, I think.

But science says that love is more irrational than hate (which is to say they're both illogical):
www.independent.co.uk ...

One major difference between love and hate appears to be in the fact that large parts of the cerebral cortex – associated with judgement and reasoning – become de-activated during love, whereas only a small area is deactivated in hate.

The cerebral cortex:
en.wikipedia.org...

...It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different composition in terms of neurons and connectivity. The human cerebral cortex is 2–4 mm (0.08–0.16 inches) thick.

Originally posted by elevatedone
oops

edit on 16-5-2012 by elevatedone because: (no reason given)

Ha ha ! Now that's a reply I can understand.

reply to post by randyvs

Well i think the goal of sacrificing ones self for another is so that someone else may live because the person sacrificing themself cant stand the thought of living without that person so it seems pretty logical to me. As for the God thing, the idea of God really isnt that logical, if it was nearly everyone would believe in God.

reply to post by randyvs

Originally posted by randyvs
Is it really a logical thing to do seeing that he upon his death will no longer have his friends ? Yet out of love there are many that would do something so illogical. So if love is not logical ? Does that mean when we say," God is love"
we are saying God is not logical ? If God is not logical ? What does that say for logic ?

I think you are mixing up Gods love/logic, with our own love/logic.

IMO, Gods love is perfect logic, whereas, our love is not always perfectly logical.

And I would add, that Gods logic/love doesn’t always add up to us, and at times can seem very illogical, from our perspective…but IMO its just not the case…


- JC

reply to post by Joecroft


Wow some amazing answers I've generated with such a miniscuel lil thread. Excellent.

reply to post by randyvs

Originally posted by randyvs
Wow some amazing answers I've generated with such a miniscuel lil thread. Excellent.

Yeah, some really thought provoking posts here…

And IMO, there’s nothing minuscule about it… it’s actually a really great question to think about, especially when it comes to thinking about our own illogical, logical ness…



- JC