Very often you hear people say all the world needs is for people to love eachother more. Is that true though?
Think about what love brings: jealousy, selfishness, distrust, hate, etc.
An example:
We love our pets. So much so that in North America we spend far more on our pets than we donate to save people who are dying in poor countries.
Is that an example of love, or of selfishness? We love our pets because they're companions to us. We keep them so that *we* don't feel lonely. If they were a wild animal we would likely consider them a pest and try to scare them off so they don't get into our trash. It's the same animal, except in the latter case it doesn't do anything for us.
You can love a person, an animal, a piece of land, money, a way of life. All of these you love because of how it makes YOU feel. If it didn't make *you* feel great it wouldn't be important to you. Because of that, isnt love a selfish emotion?
Does the world really need more love? (more below)
2007-09-10
12:10:04
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12 answers
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asked by
CSE
7
in
Philosophy