The logic of Beauty and Love

Duke · #1 10-23-2007, 09:59 PM

In one of those boring religious threads RJT mentioned that beauty and love aren't logic based. I kinda think that they are.

My assertions are that love is a biological urge dictated by our desire to procreate, and that beauty is a form of symmetry and a measured break from that. I assert that differences in taste are minimal, and people who think that their wife is the most beautiful woman in the world are both victims of that same biological pressure, and also are telling a bit of a fib that they'll keep on telling to their dying day.

This should be controversial, and it has nothing to do with religion. I'm gonna pat myself on the back now.

Discuss, and feel free to provide evidence for your claims if you want. I'm happy with reasoning.

luckyme · #2 10-23-2007, 10:08 PM

[ QUOTE ]
In one of those boring religious threads RJT mentioned that beauty and love aren't logic based. I kinda think that they are.

My assertions are that love is a biological urge dictated by our desire to procreate, and that beauty is a form of symmetry and a measured break from that. I assert that differences in taste are minimal, and people who think that their wife is the most beautiful woman in the world are both victims of that same biological pressure, and also are telling a bit of a fib that they'll keep on telling to their dying day.

This should be controversial, and it has nothing to do with religion. I'm gonna pat myself on the back now.

Discuss, and feel free to provide evidence for your claims if you want. I'm happy with reasoning.

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Both are logically based and not very mysterious in their raison d'etre. Of the 3 billion potential partners in the world, it's amazing that the most beautiful one lives in my neighborhood.

luckyme

RJT · #3 10-23-2007, 10:16 PM

You mean I love my mother and my sister because ... boy, am I f..... up.

Duke · #4 10-23-2007, 10:17 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
In one of those boring religious threads RJT mentioned that beauty and love aren't logic based. I kinda think that they are.

My assertions are that love is a biological urge dictated by our desire to procreate, and that beauty is a form of symmetry and a measured break from that. I assert that differences in taste are minimal, and people who think that their wife is the most beautiful woman in the world are both victims of that same biological pressure, and also are telling a bit of a fib that they'll keep on telling to their dying day.

This should be controversial, and it has nothing to do with religion. I'm gonna pat myself on the back now.

Discuss, and feel free to provide evidence for your claims if you want. I'm happy with reasoning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Both are logically based and not very mysterious in their raison d'etre. Of the 3 billion potential partners in the world, it's amazing that the most beautiful one lives in my neighborhood.

luckyme

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Perhaps I should have taken the other side. I figured that enough people would be on the side of it being a mystery for his side to be fun to argue.

luckyme · #5 10-23-2007, 10:22 PM

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You mean I love my mother and my sister because ... boy, am I f..... up.

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you don't love your mother and sister as you love your gay partner or straight lover. It's not the same process at work, we just use an umbrella word to cover them all. saves letters.

luckyme

RJT · #6 10-23-2007, 11:37 PM

Let’s put it this way. We can say that it is logical the way a car is built. We cannot say a car is logical.

So yeah, perhaps I misspoke. But, this is how I meant it. I think you took me a bit too literal, but I'll take the blame.

bunny · #7 10-23-2007, 11:57 PM

I wonder whether it is nothing more than a confusion of language. I'm one of those people who maintain that "love isnt logical" however I dont mean that there is no logical reason for us to feel the emotion love.

I am merely making the (obvious) point that we do not choose who we will love via a process of logical deduction. In fact, we may even be able to logically deduce a "best" mate for life and still we will opt for the illogical third or fourth choice. This doesnt mean there's no reason for our behaviour, merely that it isnt logic driving our choice - it's hormones or whatever.

Duke · #8 10-24-2007, 12:58 AM

Hrmmm.

I guess the way I'm presently looking at it, love is logical. Mainly because it's a hormonal thing that is in the realm of the understandable (whether or not it's fully comprehended right now).

I guess I lump everything that is understandable as logical, and perhaps I shouldn't look at it that way. I'll have to think more on this. I think that I conflate the meanings of "reasonable" and "understandable," if that makes any sense.

I'm still lost on that car analogy, since a car is perfectly logical, reasonable, and understandable (also very well understood) to me.

bunny · #9 10-24-2007, 01:00 AM

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Hrmmm.

I guess the way I'm presently looking at it, love is logical. Mainly because it's a hormonal thing that is in the realm of the understandable (whether or not it's fully comprehended right now).

I guess I lump everything that is understandable as logical, and perhaps I shouldn't look at it that way. I'll have to think more on this. I think that I conflate the meanings of "reasonable" and "understandable," if that makes any sense.

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Can you give me an example of something which isnt logical then? It seems like most things are understandable (at least in principle).

Duke · #10 10-24-2007, 01:22 AM

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Hrmmm.

I guess the way I'm presently looking at it, love is logical. Mainly because it's a hormonal thing that is in the realm of the understandable (whether or not it's fully comprehended right now).

I guess I lump everything that is understandable as logical, and perhaps I shouldn't look at it that way. I'll have to think more on this. I think that I conflate the meanings of "reasonable" and "understandable," if that makes any sense.

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Can you give me an example of something which isnt logical then? It seems like most things are understandable (at least in principle).

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Well by that possibly useless definition, I can't really think of much. The god thing would be illogical since it's basically defined to be outside of understandability, but aside from that we're left without much.

I think I need to re-internalize the idea of logic, or perhaps I'm on to something that I haven't figured out yet.