Mrebo said:
I second ender's response.
Science doesn't need to prove or disprove anything at all. Doesn't need to prove whether romantic love is anything more than hormones and electrical impulses with the general purpose of motivating reproduction so that monkey men may continue for as long as they are able. Similarly need it prove that love of children exists is a evolutionary development to motivate us to care for them until they too procreate. Whether one wants to accept that's all love is because that's all that science can tell you is another matter.
Only, it can demonstrate those things, and it can do it quite well.
Actually, human mating behaviors is one of the things that has always led me to doubt God to some degree. We can look at mating patterns and behaviors, what women find attractive, what men find attractive, what kind of responses our bodies have to this, chemical releases, etc. All of it fights against monogamy. Why would God program us so contrary to the way he wants us to be.
Whether one "believes" or "knows" love to be more than that (or not) is obviously up to each person, but I can't imagine holding such a stilted view of life. Maybe if I had no concept of love beyond what the scientific method can tell me I'd also put that particular concept on the plane of mermaids and unicorns. Not to say atheists take such a stilted view of love, but belief in God is similar in terms of "knowing" without scientific proof.
Love is an emotion you can see and feel. It can be oppressive, it can be painful, it can be sweet, it can be blissful, it can be overwhelming. We've all experienced it, and we have all seen the crazy things people will do for someone they love. There is no reason to deny it. Anymore than there would be reason to deny depression, sadness, anger, joy, etc. More than just feeling, the body changes while experiencing these things. They are in a way tangible and measurable. The concept of God is not.
Also, love is actually quite selfish. No matter how you try to look at it, deep down, it is "I want you to only mate with me", I want you all to myself, it is the well being of your own children over those of others. Ultimately, the things we do for love, are things we do for ourselves. If you buy your wife flowers, is it because you love her and you want her to feel special? Of course, but it is also because you want to be the one making her feel special, and a demonstration of your value as a mate.
I want to emphasize how much I agree with ender. I like you, Leo, Bingo, Frink, et al. since it can be hard to discuss such topics without coming across as strident. I find it an interesting discussion but it unfortunately comes down to somebody being less than a good guy. Like I told Warbs, I try not to discuss religion. At least one side sees no valid argument to even have and people only end up being disgruntled.
What do you mean by, "it unfortunately comes down to somebody being less than a good guy"?