[Vision2020] Love

[Art Deco]

It may be wise to remember in a discussion of values the following paraphrase of a quotation from English Philosopher John Locke:

"When comparing two ideas, it is necessary to have a clear and distinct idea of each."

Or its modern statement:

"When comparing two statements or theories, the clearer, less vague and ambiguous statement(s) of and definitions used in each, the better the chance of meaningfully determining the truth, or in the case of values, the correct application, or least discovering the roots of agreement or disagreement."

Somehow the author of the list which we have been presented seems not to have appreciated the above recommendations, nor has the author appreciated the wisdom of Aristotle about the virtues and the mean -- avoiding excesses in either direction.  The author, if she/he really had an open mind about the nature of value statements, might try taking Ethics 101.  The author might then discover that determining the truth, if there is such, or correct application, if there is such, of value statements is quite a bit more complicated than giving a list of platitudes.

Values are not like gravity or electricity where erroneous statements are confronted by hard reality.

w.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jeff Harkins 
  To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
  Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2011 11:14 AM
  Subject: [Vision2020] Love


    The comments on the "love" value have been interesting and 
  thought-provoking.

  Many of you seem disappointed that the values lack "precision" and/or 
  "perfection" in the definitions - or perhaps fail to match your 
  "feelings" about love (or any of the other values).

  Couple of thoughts -

  I too have felt the definitions have not been as robust as I would like, 
  but upon reflection, I think the definitions are intended to encourage 
  conversation about the values and to gain perspectives about how our 
  beliefs might legitimately differ from others.

  As well, it seems to me that the whole point of thinking about these 
  "values" is to identify our own feelings about who we are and to be able 
  to appreciate how we might alter our own self image.  Case in point, if 
  you viewed the TV spot for love (entitled Everlasting Love), the message 
  communicates (at least to me) a depth of love that transcends age, 
  gender, experience, wisdom, status - e.g., the "love between father and 
  daughter" -  For me, I have a very different feeling about love and my 
  relationship with my soul mate.

  The quotations and lyrics you all have cited about love have been 
  terrific - very diverse.

  Here is one that has always been "interesting" to me:

  "It is not virtue, wisdom, valour, wit, strength, comeliness of shape or 
  amplest merit, that woman's love can win, or long inherit; but what it 
  is, hard is to say, harder to hit" [John Milton - Samson Agonistes]

  That said,

  Isn't love a feeling?
  Isn't love warm?
  Isn't love personal?
  Isn't love a "bonding"?

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