Philosophy Final Project

Vernon Ha

PHR:380

Meditation I: On Love

Love is rooted in fear, the fear of loneliness. As Hobbes states in Leviathan, "the passions

that incline men to peace are: fear of death, the desire of such things as are necessary to

commodious living, and a hope by their industry to obtain them" (Hobbes, 43). According to

Hobbes, fear of death, desire for essentials, and the hope of obtaining them are what keep men in

order. I agree with this statement and believe love is innate and is the natural instinct of

self-preservation driven by the fear of isolation. All things on Earth follow a meticulously

thought-out plan. Everything on Earth happens for a reason, everything from as small as atoms to

the greater gravitational force of our solar system exits within a balanced system, and the same

goes for love. Humans are inherently social beings, from the dawn of evolution, our ancestors

have been living together, thriving in groups and tribes. The fear of loneliness can be traced back

to ancient times when isolation from the group meant higher vulnerability and risk of death.

Love then becomes a survival mechanism to ensure social bonds and keep humans together.

Love is also the driving force of reproduction, the most crucial thing to our existence, and

considered essential for men. Without love, we would be emotionless, like robots, that would not

reproduce, ceasing the existence of mankind. In addition to securing physical needs, love in its

purest form is the wellspring in which our emotional needs flow, providing companionship and

nurturing our emotional well-being.

Although everyone is born with the same idea of love, the selfish nature of humans alters

the pure love we are born with. In the early stages of one’s existence, the concept of love is a
universal language, transcending languages, cultures, and borders. However, as humans navigate

through life, societal influence and individual ambitions cause the pristine nature of the initial

love to undergo alterations. Selfish inclination, driven by the ancient instinct of self-preservation

causes individuals to prioritize their needs and desires over the selfless nature of love. For

example, due to the pressure of societal norms, people tend to love those who are more

physically appealing over those who aren’t, overshadowing the deeper and more profound

aspects of love that extend beyond external appearances. Furthermore, in our society, wealth and

status have been prioritized, making humans chase after materialistic things when finding love,

making us more disconnected than ever.

Love is an innate idea that stems from our natural instinct to survive. In its original and

purest form, humans are subjected to love all things, creating social bonds that make us group

together. However, the ugly selfish nature of humans causes us to conform to our own ambitions,

prioritizing those who are wealthy and “beautiful” over others, causing love to have the repelling

effect.
Nicolaas Petrus Kramer

PHR: 380

The Garden of Hearts

As one reached the garden gates, they were each given a tiny seed. As one planted these

seeds, they would later sprout into vibrant plants. After planting the seed, the seeker was greeted

by the path of understanding. This path guided seekers through various experiences, showing

them sculptures and murals depicting people hugging, kissing, and showing affection. Affection,

since a fundamental aspect of human relationships, demands careful examination. Affection or

the feeling of love can come from the inside because it is hardwired into human existence.

Biologically, infants have an innate predisposition to form attachments with their caregivers.

However, making someone love you is a learned behavior because one can consciously try to

learn how to build a more intimate relationship. For example, couples who work on active

listening and expressing feelings can have stronger feelings of affection towards one another

because they work on understanding each other and the kind of affection they want.

One continues walking the path until he arrives at the garden center, where he can see the

fountain of reflection, which invites one to look at its crystalline waters. The water's reflection is

always a trickle different but mostly the same, like the different colors and forms of love. Could

love be known with absolute certainty, or are doubt and ambiguity inherently present? Love is

subjective, as each individual can interpret and experience it differently. One person can find

value in physical touch, while the other finds value in shared conversations with a specific other.

Therefore, people don't have the same image of what love is, making it subjective.

Wandering away from the center, you arrive at the bridge of empathy, which is located

over a serene river. The bridge is necessary because it connects the Garden of Hearts to the
people trying to enter it. Similarly, love is only created when physical demands and mental

demands come together. For that reason, love is not its own individual thing. When you approach

the person you would like to get attached to, your mind starts racing, and you start feeling scared,

embarrassed, and anxious. At the same time, your palms are sweating, your cheeks are flushed,

and your heart is racing. It's like a cause-and-effect relationship. The mind substance and

physical substance are the two things that enable love to exist and, therefore, dually rule the

definition of the feeling.

Crossing the bridge, your gaze lands upon the Tree of Choices. Its branches, laden with

blossoms that represent the many decisions individuals must make in the pursuit of love. Some

blossoms flourished with conscious choices, while others bloomed from the seeds of spontaneity.

If love is rational, people will analyze feelings, potential partners and make choices based on

shared values, long-term goals, and interests. If love is irrational, emotions and instincts play a

more important role in decision-making than analysis. Love would be seen as a force that

transcends reason and would have individuals drawn to someone without being able to articulate

and justify why they feel that way.

Decarts exploration of love would probably be similar to mine, breaking it into smaller

concepts, but he would further break down love using rational skepticism as a tool to reach the

only thing about love that is true. Decart says, “Accordingly, I seem to be able to establish the

general rule that whatever I clearly and distinctly grasp is true.” Here, Decart implies that

everything has a singular and general truth, somewhat applying an objective label to everything.

However, it is impossible to do so when talking about love due to its inherent subjectivity.

As the seeker makes his way back to the gate. He gazes at the now flourishing plant that

originated from a humble seed. The profound journey comes full circle, and the thriving plant a
symbol of growth, understanding, and perhaps the transformation of the seeker's vision of love

and human connection.

 Letters of Nicolaas and Vernon Ha
L1 - Vernon

Love is indeed a cause-and-effect relationship, governed by the principles of matter and motion.

In this intricate interplay, the mind substance and physical substance significantly contributes to the

dynamics of love. Individuals enter love relationships driven by mutual benefit rooted from

self-interest. This pursuit is a complex blend of both physical desires of reproduction and mental

considerations. However, I disagree that love is subjective. While people may have different experiences

and interpretations of love, there are some aspects that are objective. As you mention, when

experiencing love, one’s body responds with sweaty palms and raised heart rates. This universal

biological response suggests that to some extent, love has components that transcend individuals. In

addition, love is part of our evolution. The very essence of love is for our collective survival and

reproduction, which introduces objective dimensions to the subjective experience. The drive for

forming emotional bonds and attachments, or what we call love, has roots in the survival and needs of

our species. I agree that love could be altered from the innate pure love we were born with but instead

of being a genuine alteration of innate feelings, the act of making someone like you is simply an

extension of self-preservation and interest.

L2 - Nicolaas Kramer

Identifying love as the fear of loneliness is a narrowed take because it oversimplifies the

complexity of love and changes it to a singular negative motivator. Instead, love should be looked upon

as a multifaceted kind of emotion encompassing feelings of compassion and empathy. In ancient times,

people grouped together for division of labor and security, not the fear of being alone or the fear of

being unloved. A person can survive without loving because there are still many emotions that can be

felt. In addition, reproduction could still happen even if a male and female don't feel true love for each

other because reproduction is only a physical act. Therefore, true love is only when the physical state

and emotional state come together and both show traces of affection. I agree that love is an innate and

changeable idea. However, love has not only changed for the negative, becoming more materialistic,

but people have the capabilities to cultivate deeper and more profound aspects of love, transcending

societal norms and appearances. Even though some concepts of love could be universally shared from

individual to individual, like sweaty palms. The other aspects, like personal values and beliefs that are

intertwined with love, are what truly make it subjective.

L3 - Vernon

I agree that love is indeed multifaceted and includes various emotions such as compassion and

empathy; however, it is important to acknowledge that the fear of loneliness is a huge driving force in

the human experience of love. In ancient times, people did group together for security reasons, but the

underlying fear of being alone and unloved is inherent in this grouping for security; after all, humans

are social creatures. While a person can survive without experiencing romantic love, the argument was

not to propose love as the sole emotion necessary for survival. Furthermore, although reproduction

could happen without love, that is simply not the case for the majority of humans. We are not

reproduction robots and no one should ever be forced into doing so; therefore, love is still the driving

force of reproduction.

L4 - Nicolaas

The reasons behind reproduction don't specifically have to be love because it is not everybody

on the planet who reproduces for that reason. Love might be the driving force for the majority, but

your argument is still incomplete because you say, “ Love is also the driving force of

reproduction”(Ha,1). Reasons people might reproduce that dont include love are to keep their family’s

wealth and continue their lineage.

 Bibliography

Descartes, Rene, Meditations of first philosophy. Translated by Ronald Rubin

Hobbes, Thomas. "Leviathan." Edited by Edwin Curley, Hackett Publishing Company, 1994,
Chapter XIII.