If there is no God, why do humans have the capacity to love? No other animal has that ability. There is no obvious evolutionary benefit. We not only have the capacity to love, we crave it. Why do you think that is?
by 
OnceBitten
ANSWERS: 19
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It could, indeed, be an indication of a divine being. (Now watch me get negged!)
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Hi once! Great question......I would argue that the life that runs through the universe, runs through all living beings... this fabric is based on the universal laws of nature that is held together by our inter-connectedness...call this love...unity....we all have and feel this....family-yes...friends-yes....pets-yes....etc, etc,etc....so what we crave may be the connection that we already have inwardly, manifested in an outward expression! I hope this helps. :) (See my profile for pertinent link)
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It could, quite possibly, be because of a divine being, but it could also be a purely biological reaction. I don't necessarily argue for either point, but those are two possibilities that I see. =)
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I don't buy that we are the only animal that has the capacity to love.
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There is an evolutionary answer. Co-survival. Humans survived because we're smart enough to look out for one another.
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I don't agree with your assumptions. Very, very simply, we are not the only animals that have the capacity to love. Animals love and grieve the loss of loved ones. There is great evolutionary benefit to loving. It makes us take better care of our family/clan. I find that even agnostics and atheists can love with as much fervor as a christian or muslim. The existance or non-existance of God doesn't prove or disprove anything when it comes to our capacity to love.
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Love practically guarantees the possibility of mating. My single friends must work hard to get laid; I, being married, could get laid every night, stamina permitting. Therefore the ability to form a committed relationship (love) could well be a survival trait ingrained into our nature in the same way that five fingers per hand is. As for crave, we are not a strong species. We have adaptive intelligence and opposable thumbs. Where is our resistance to cold (Penguins, Polar bears) or our thick hide (Elephant, Rhinoceros) or our natural weaponry (any carnivore)? Sure, we invented guns and knives and jackets and Kevlar, but none of those are genetic. We are weak. Therefore, we must multiply. And what better way than to make mating feel good? Have procreation trigger the pleasure centers of our brain so hard that we will hump each other even if there is no possibility of procreation just because it feel s that damn good? And if love equals guaranteed nookie.....
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First, I can only assume that you have never had a pet. I know my cat loves me because of the affection and care she gives me. She grooms me and cuddles with me. If I'm sick, she will sleep on the bed with me until I'm better. Even if you aren't willing to accept her behavior as love, you have to admit that emulating it has been an evolutionary coup for domestic cats. We're systematically wiping out the great cats, but we have felis catus coming out of the woodwork. Evolutionarily speaking with regard to humans, love increases the chances that a child will survive. Two parents that work together to feed and protect their offspring will be more successful. Love is a wonderful thing, but I do not think it had to be bestowed upon us by a deity. As for craving love, any social creature needs interaction with a group. The group provides protection and the affection bond helps to ensure this. Seeking out that bond improves the probability of surviving to procreate.
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We are not the only animals with the capacity to love. Many species mate for life. I can tell you that pets love. It is nothing short of an egocentric need to differentiate ourselves as somehow "special" that we believe such nonsense. http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1497634.htm
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Just a thought; since humans were created in Gods image and God has the capacity of love, then so do we. It lends itself to the natural order of things. There is such beautiful symmetry in this world, so many things taken for granted that if looked at with innocent eyes would be "miracles" it amazes me.
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I can conceive of love without there needing to be a god. You could just as easily ask if there is no god why do humans have the capacity to hate? Or feel angry? Or laugh? Or get depressed? I think it proves nothing either way. It could be the case that we love because of god it could equally not be the case. Animals can love. I am as sure of that as I am that humans can. The obvious evolutionary benefit is that if you love and are in turn loved you aren't on your own, others will look out for you and you (and the species) have more chance of survival. It is why the strongest love is often between families I would guess. You protect your genes. That doesn't make it any less real though as many would say. It isn't an illusion.
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I refuse to accept that there isn't some higher power. For some reason we're not meant to have ALL the answers. But to look at all the miracles around us and not know that there is an intelligent design to it all is like burying your head in the sand hoping predators won't notice the rest of your body shaking in fear.
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Animals absolutely have the capacity for love and for companionship. Love does have some 'evoultionary' advantages: if we did not love, there would be less procreation, we would not need to surround ourselves with others' of our species and therefore have protection, we would not feel the need to care for each other during illnesses (therefore we would be more vulnerable to the illnesses. We would not protect our young (as long) with such fervor as we do. Animals do crave love as well, you can see it when you have a pet, they NEED to be loved to thrive. Love is neccessary for most beings in order to thrive, not just humans.
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It is because we are created in God's (and Jesus') image, that meaning that we have attributes like them in that we have intelligence, humor, the ability to love, to reason, the desire to live forever and to accomplish things.
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We are love, and we crave love because we are identified with a false representation of what we are. We want to be ourselves, and ourselves is Love. Moreover, it is like we are love and have the capacity not to love. Because we have generated responses that are unloving, they become entreanched habits, and so from this we see ourselves incomplete. We identify with our immoral actions, and name tag ourselves as not-whole entities. Are wholeness is Wholeness, our love is Love. And we are of One Universal body, which is manifested through Infinate Love. God Bless
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From what source did you discern that no other animal has the capacity to love? And, perhaps more on point, what is the efficacy of such a conclusion to the perceiver? If everything you encounter, animate or inanimate, are all individuated yet wholly equal parts of an extending idea comprised of love, where within this indefinable realm could love be absent...?
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what do you mean that the capacity to love has no evolutionary benefit?? no other animal has the ability to love? Perhaps you could tell us where you get these 'facts' from? The ability to love is of great bonding significance in the rearing of young..the maintenance of a family unit..or ensuring that a male and female stay together for the rearing of an offspring. I think that many animals display the capacity for love...Monkeys denied a mother figure at birth grow up to be psychologically unsound...and that is just one example...
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Maybe I should ask you what is love? "Love" goes beyond tingly feelings and butterflies in the stomach. "Love" is a comittment. Hence the reason we need to "love" ourselves. Or be committed to ourselves. "Loving" someone is to be commited to the relationship with that someone. "Love" is a desire to be with a certain someone. It's called companionship. I feel personally the word "love" encompasses all the things that we desire in another person in our lives. When we meet the person then we can reciprocate "love" Comittment, companionship, caring,,,,,,,the list goes on and on. Also to say annimals don't feel love is a very broad statement. In the light of what I have written here, they too require to be "loved" and to "love" in return. Again companionship, of the same kind of annimal. There is also an evolutionary benefit. Most people who are in "love" will have sex and want to have children. Therefor continuing the human race. We don't just crave to be "loved". Most of us want to "love" someone. If you just want to be "loved" then that isn't "love" it's selfish.
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to answer this question, first we must understand love. what is love the desire to be with your mate. the care and nurture of your offspring. the feeling of warth when your lover is near. the need to protect and defened both your mate and offspring. if these are all signs of love than many animals can and do feel love. they just can not commincate it in the same manner as we do with words. to be honist they may even know love a bit deeper as they do not use the words and fake the emotions for some reason or another..
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