Reflections on the concept of love and attempts to analyze it date back to the most ancient philosophical systems. Different researchers study this phenomenon from various perspectives in order to provide its concise definition (Stanislawski, 2014; Knox & Schacht, 2012). This paper aims to discuss whether the concept of love can be defined in a clear way, based on the statements made in Knox and Schacht’s book and Stanislawski’s video.
I do not think that any clear, objective definition can be provided for love as it is complex and comes in many ways, such as parental love, love for friends, nature, activities, or country. Some people might view love primarily as a name for the biological process, natural for humans. For instance, the video by Stanislawski (2014) studies the evolutionary and physical reasons for human behaviors and body responses to love. However, the researcher argues that it is not only a fundamental biological mechanism, since it fulfills more functions than merely the procreative one, aiming to provide pleasure as well. At the same time, Knox and Schacht (2012) approach the concept as an intimate relationship based on people’s choices. The researchers highlight the idea of freedom and responsibility as an integral part of every human’s choice. Besides, the variety of conventional norms and traditions worldwide expand the concept of love to different extents. Therefore, I believe that love always involves subjective judgments and values, making it impossible to provide a unanimous, all-encompassing definition.
To summarize, it appears that the concept of love cannot be defined in an objective way because of its complex, subjective, and multidimensional nature. The book by Knox and Schacht and the video by Stanislawski discussed in this paper have different perspectives on love as a phenomenon. The book views it primarily from a psychological perspective, while the video focuses on the biological and historical approaches.
References
Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2012). Choices in relationships: An introduction to marriage and the family. Nelson Education.
Stanislawski, K. (2014). The Human Animal Ep. 4 – The Biology of Love. YouTube. Web.