Love

[Lunan]

as a heinlein fan i came accross the GRANDMASTER's definition of the word many many moons ago in Stranger in a Strange Land

personally i have never seen a beter definition and i though this could be an interesting topic for disscuation

whats your def? agree disagree?

[Jan]

Heinlein's definition of love:

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

I like his definition, mostly...except...I'm sorry, I really think it goes too far to say that the other person's happiness is *essential* to mine. Very important, perhaps, but not essential.

Jan

[Harrdy]

The problem with "essential" is IMHO that all kind of Symbiosis is also considered love then... I think the second big part of love is the ability to be (stay) the same person (I do not consider changed behaviour like dropping the restroom seats down as "inner core" *g*) as you where alone.

PeAcE

[Radhil]

Problem with defining "love" is that everyone already have their definitions down pat, and try to compare accordingly (or at least that's what I see in earlier responses). Love can have connotations from True Love, blind love, brotherly love, and "motel love" and about a million permutations in between. Trying to define the word without the context is impossible (I had a nice analogy but it went out the window.)

Personally, I think Heinlein's talking about the first bit. True Love of the Shakespeare and Princess Bride variety. Honestly Stranger was a book that creeped me right the hell out, but mostly because I thought it was right on a lot of things. And maybe I'll say more about it later.

[WorkerCaste]

I like his definition, mostly...except...I'm sorry, I really think it goes too far to say that the other person's happiness is *essential* to mine. Very important, perhaps, but not essential.

I think it depends on your reading. Try turning it around. If someone you love is unhappy, can you truly be happy? I would imagine that it speaks more to enduring love and enduring happiness as well. We all go through transient times of happiness and unhappiness largely unaffected by larger concerns, but if someone I love is enduringly unhappy, I don't think I could, overall, be happy in the face of that. Thus, I can see the essential part. On the other hand, I don't think that loving someone is essential to happiness, but once you're in love...

[I love Lyta]

A set of biochemical reactions induced by sensory perception of the person(s) or the animal(s) in question under a certain set of circumstances.
The part about the animal(s) refers to pets. Not some kind of sexual perversion mind you.

[Radhil]

A factual definition but not an entirely truthful one, I think.

Mind: A set of electrical impulses conducted through neurons in reponse to input and conditioning. Factual. Precise. Useless, unless you're studying brain cells.

[I love Lyta]

Might be. But the Q was about a definition per se. Not some romantic description.
Apart from that I'd say:
Love is what you make of it.

"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is very important (to adopt Jan's comment) to your own. "

I would say the same about close friends too. Still, I wouldn't say that I love them...