can love be defined purely by motive?

Posted on October 9, 2007  by Geoff Matheson
Filed Under Emerging Questions

Conversations I’ve had with people both online and off in response to the “God is love. But what is love?” post have caused a few different people to ask the very pertinent question: “Is love more about motive than it is the specific action?” It’s a question that has an obvious pat answer, but that pat answer has some pretty significant implications. I want to say “yes, of course”. In fact, some of the opinion I’ve heard is that a loving action is only about motive, rather than what the action itself is.

It’s a “feel-good” opinion. It makes lots of nice sense. But then when you think about it, it can get really scary. Because suddenly, a whole bunch of things that we’ve decided are bad things to do, must be considered “loving acts“. Euthanasia - if committed out of genuine concern and love for someone would therefore be a loving thing. You can figure out for yourself, specific actions that you’d consider to be bad things, that with this understanding of love, must be considered to be loving acts.

So, is love just about motive, or are some actions inherently unloving? Keep in mind, we’re not tackling the issue of whether or not these actions still qualify as sins - that’s a bigger one that we might approach later.

About Geoff Matheson

Geoff is a 23 year old database administrator who has birthed amateurtheology.org from some crazy thoughts he had early one Monday morning. Geoff does his best to sound lots smarter than he actually is. He also runs some youth stuff at Yarra Valley Vineyard, and he is married to the very lovely Rebecca.

Geoff's site: http://www.geoffreport.com/wp/

Comments

4 Responses to “can love be defined purely by motive?”

  1. Chris Porter on October 9th, 2007 1:04 pm

    Not much to add, but its an interesting question. To further your point about euthanasia, Bonhoeffer makes an interesting statement that suicide can, under the right circumstances, be considered a loving act for other people (Ethics,1943). Obviously his point of view is influenced by the Nazi reigime and World War 2 happening around him, but the question remains essentially the same as what Geoff has asked.

  2. Reinhard on October 9th, 2007 4:54 pm

    Anyone can have the motive to do something loving, but not do it. Likewise anyone can act lovingly without having any love in themselves. I do not think that love can be defined as anything other than itself. Love leads you to prefer the good of a person. When you prefer the good of a person (possibly over your own), your actions are motivated by your preference. I don’t think love can be explained merely as motive, or as preference. It is too much more than those, and too much simpler.

  3. Tim on October 9th, 2007 10:31 pm

    Wow I feel dizzy.

    All of us know people who’s parents love them dearly, so dearly that they wrap them in cotton wool, and protect them ultimately from experiencing life or learning how to look after themselves. Ultimately this action leads to them not learning key social skills and becoming isolated and depressed.

    While the motive was surely love, could the action be described as loving?

    I guess it depends on whether you analyse loving merely on intention, or on whether or not it serves some larger ultimate good.

    I think its fair to say that a lot of harm is done in the name of love… and that in some contexts the intention of love is not enough to excuse the misguided nature of the action.

    On the other hand a bank computer that accidently decides to give a quadraplegic an extra 50% interest on all her account couldn’t be described as loving, even though the action represents something love would do.

    Perhaps love does have to be understood to some degree as the complex interaction and discpline of both action and intent.

  4. Gerry on October 9th, 2007 10:51 pm

    Well, the new Pope Benedict has a very interesting treatise on this whole area. Deus Caritas Est (=God is love) is actually his first encyclical letter as pope.
    Part one is: THE UNITY OF LOVE IN CREATION AND IN SALVATION HISTORY
    Part two is: THE PRACTICE OF LOVE BY THE CHURCH AS A “COMMUNITY OF LOVE”

    You can read it at
    http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html

    Though you won’t agree with all that he says, it’s worth reading.

Leave a Reply