The concept makes no sense. Any attempt you make to define what unconditional love is will result in conditional criteria. "Unconditional" itself if a condition. For the love to be different from conditional love, the condition is that it must be unconditional.
And yet, people will argue tooth and nail that it is a real thing. One of the most common examples is that of a mother's love for her child, but the first condition is that the child must be hers.
I believe the reason for the popularity of this concept is that it is convenient. It is akin to "the devil made me do it". It is tempting to legitimize the removal of standards and conditions on the basis of love. This kind of reasoning is not based on real love, but rather emotional appeal.
— John Days
Condition for love towards something means that there is love towards something if the condition C is met, — BlueBanana
but if you think of unconditional love as symbolic, referent to things like motherly love where, for instance, in the event that her child does some wrongdoing to her she still cannot stop loving him, it may start to make some sense. — TimeLine
I believe unconditional love is an expression of how a person gives love, that is, to give love without seeking anything in return. — TimeLine
in order to receive the love from other/s. Unconditional love works in reverse; it is a person who is not seeking this love from others, but rather giving it; being charitable is an expression of unconditional love, showing mercy is an expression of unconditional love. — TimeLine
I may have been hurt by a man, for instance, but showing him unconditional love would be to hope that he improves rather than desire revenge. — TimeLine
It is not appealing to emotion if there are reasonable grounds in this hope, because love itself is a decision and a choice and as such requires reason and intelligence in making those choices. — TimeLine
It is an act of giving love — TimeLine
I mean condition as in a condition for something to happen, which is what unconditional in the context means. — BlueBanana
If the giving does not happen, then the condition is not met and the love is not unconditional. — John Days
An example of what I mean: that's a condition of the love being unconditional, not a condition of love. Unconditional refers to the lack of conditions of love, not the lack of conditions on which we define the term unconditional. — BlueBanana
"Giving" is a condition. If the giving does not happen, then the condition is not met and the love is not unconditional. the concept is a contradiction which is based purely on emotionalism. It's tempting to suspend standards when we feel strongly about an issue, but claiming that our suspension of standards is an expression of love is just hypocrisy and convenience. It is not rational to suspend conditions for the sake of love, because that would suggest that love could be unjust. — John Days
If the love really was unconditional, then whether or not you were hurt would be irrelevant. — John Days
Reason and hope are the conditions on which those decisions are made. There is no way you can try to define something which is unconditional, because the attempt itself to define that concept requires conditions. Therefore, unconditional love is an emotional concept which is specifically designed to overlook conditions which may contradict what real love is for the sake of satisfying emotional desire. — John Days
No, because the condition is that the wrong-doer is HER child; not some other person's child, and, her love may not be real love at all if it causes her to ignore injustice toward those who are not her child. If unconditional love is meant to be symbolic, then a better symbol is needed than a word which suggests that standards do not matter. — John Days
unconditional love can't be unconditional, — BlueBanana
and not want anything in return.
— TimeLine
Which is a condition.
— John Days
No it isn't. — TimeLine
Which rationally contradicts anything you say afterward about how love can be unconditional. — John Days
What is emotionalism, by the way? This little rant of yours against unconditional love? — TimeLine
Unconditional love means that the love has no conditions. — BlueBanana
Well, this situation is easily testable. If someone gives expecting something in return, will you say this is unconditional love? Of course you will not. Why? because the condition of "giving without expecting anything in return" is not met. — John Days
Where is the real disagreement here? I suggest it is in the emotional value of the concept. Unconditional love provides a seriously convenient method of escape from accountability. But justice is impossible without standards or conditions, and for you to say that justice is separate from love opens a whole new can of worms. — John Days
That's not a condition of love, that's a condition of it being unconditional. — BlueBanana
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