GISP Pitch!: “Neuroscience, Psychology, and Philosophy of Erotic Love, and How We Fall Into It”

Title: “Love Studies: the Neuroscience, Psychology, and Philosophy of Erotic Love and How We Fall Into It”

Summary: So basically we’re interested in what happens when we “fall in love”, what it means to “fall in love”, and how this sensation is informed biologically and culturally. Why fall in love at all? The quotations indicate our skepticism. We’re not interested in the expressivism of falling in love, but in the science, psychology, and philosophy. Science shows us the micro-level neural biochemistry (oxytocin and trust, brain imaging, motivation) and evolutionary biology, psychology shows us the macrocosmic changes in behavior (love is likened to experience of eating chocolate, OCD, addiction, and mania), and philosophy asks what does it mean to fall in love? What are the conceptual criteria? And then we take a large look at how our conceptions of love are informed by cultures.

ADVISER

We’ve been in contact with many departments, professors, and leading researchers in this field, including Irving Singer of MIT (Nature of Love Trilogy), Robert Sternberg of Tufts (New Psychology of Love), the Brown neuroscience, pschiatry, religious studies, philosophy, and psychology departments. Some professors have indicated an interest in doing a guest lecture. Irving Singer, leading philosopher on philosophy of love, sex, film, and creativity, has asked to be peripherally involved in our discussions. We are still searching for an adviser.

READINGS

We will read journal articles, use “The Philosophy of Erotic Love”, and anthology by Solomon and Higgins, as our primary philosophical text, and bring in current articles weekly to discuss the concepts of the given week and mix disciplines productively. We will also watch films and documentaries such as “Eros”. The final will be a documentary project about conceptions of Love at Brown.

PERKS

Tell that guy/girl at the party that you study Love.

Contact roman_gonzalez@brown.edu to become involved with him…I mean, the GISP.