A romantic view, and one I favor. :) Understanding the science behind a principle does not remove the romance for me...it simply makes me less likely to need to believe in Russel's Teapot. It allows me the freedom to choose what ideas I explore which are outside the realm of empiricism, without being bound by the authority of "Because my holy book says so."
I love love, am enthralled by romance, despite understanding the simple scientific mechanisms behind it, because I love the experience, the togetherness. The hormones are there for a reason, we have evolved to have these drives to pair bond, and romance is the art of elevation of pair bonding to a higher plane of experience, one that is emotional, intellectual, and physical. When all those aspects are engaged, there is a higher production of oxytocin and dopamine, slower reuptake of seratonin, and the neurochemistry of love is experienced at a much more intense level. No matter the philosophical reason we choose to give it, the end result is that it feels good. Atheism is the freedom to explore these ideas, and more, without believing that there is a pre-existing universal imperative to only understand or view them one way, and to look for the simplest explanations and understandings first. While neurochemistry may seem like a more complicated explanation to some than a benevolent bearded Grampa in the sky, the more science develops, the simpler these answers become. On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 11:27 AM, e_space <[email protected]> wrote: > > here is one of the viewers comments to the link you gave me "if love > is truly only biochemical cocktails of the brain then thats just about > the saddest thing I have ever heard. Limiting love to biology is like > limiting religion to anthropology. Wrong tool for the job, you are > truly only scratching the surface." ...i tend to agree ;-^) > > On May 19, 11:18 am, Ian Pollard <[email protected]> wrote: > > 2009/5/19 e_space <[email protected]> > > > > > > > > > in my opinion, 'god' is not an entity that can be viewed or proven. > > > tell me that you have experienced love, and then prove it to me...see > > > where the problem lies? > > > > Not really, an MRI ought to clear up any confusion: > > > > http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_... > > > > Ian > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
