Evolution and love?

Question

I get conditional, but don't get unconditional - love that is, from an evolutionist perspective.

How does unconditional love work, in a world with nothing influencing our behavior except nature?

Phoenix - I guess that's one answer - is that how you view it?

the-contrarian - Parent / child unconditional love isn't needed in evolution, is it? Why does the parent need to love in order to make every effort to protect their offspring, except self-sacrifice? Why sacrifice to death, and not just reproduce? Wouldn't that be the best way to sustain the gene pool?

enraged - as I've just noted, self-sacrifice to save a gene pool doesn't make sense. doesn't pro-creation do a better job of protecting the gene pool?

charlie b - its not impossible.

Answer 1

Those who feel unconditional love for their offspring and visa versa have a better chance of survival as they will help each other through situations where individuals may perish.

Natural selection works in so many ways.

Answer 2

Simple, unconditional love of a parent to child ensures the parent will do anything and will always support the child since the child surviving and being able to sustain it's genes therefore sustans the genes of the parent.

Answer 3

Organisms exist because they are good at making copies of themselves. Having 'unconditional love' for a fellow, member of your species has obvious evolutionary value in this regard. Keeping other members of your species alive means more chances for your species to reproduce and thus pass on its genes. Simple.

Answer 4

Who says unconditional love exists?

Answer 5

Love is limited; you can only give one life, for example. But laying down your life for even one of your offspring makes evolutionary sense.

Answer 6

Why is it impossible to believe in God and science?