Love: Between nature's illusion and the chemistry of connection

Source: Schopenhauer exposes the 'trick'

"Every infatuation, ethereal [heavenly] as it may seem, is rooted solely in the sexual drive... Love is an illusion with which nature blinds the eyes of man, so that he may serve as an instrument for the continuation of the species."

(Arthur Schopenhauer, "The World as Will and Representation", Vol. 2, Chapter 44, 1844)

Explanation: Love as a trap of the will to live

Schopenhauer anticipates Darwin, presenting love as a trick. What feels like spiritual transcendence is merely a manipulation by the "will to live" (a blind force) that drives us to reproduce with people we might not even stand, only to cast us into a life of enslavement to child-rearing and family the moment its goal is achieved.

Perspective: Beyond cynicism: A nature that also brings happiness

Even if we settle for the biological explanation that sexual attraction is merely nature's way to achieve continuation and survival, that very same nature saw to it that this continuation would bring more than survival alone—delivering happiness, stability, joy, and pleasure, home and community, and not just among human beings. That same 'manipulation' does not leave us weary and starving, enslaved and frustrated, but genuinely happy. Today, we see the model Schopenhauer described spreading across the world, yet it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Going Deeper: The chemistry behind infatuation and commitment

Modern science counters this cynicism through chemistry. The stage of falling in love is flooded with dopamine and norepinephrine, creating a sense of euphoria, excitement, and high energy. Yet the body cannot sustain this stress over time. After 18 to 30 months, the brain stops producing these chemicals, replacing them with oxytocin and vasopressin to foster long-term bonding and monogamy. Nature—or in the eyes of believers, the good God—made sure to equip us with a complete toolkit designed to sustain a partnership.

Culture: Tristan and Isolde: Love as tragedy and destruction

In the opera Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner (who was deeply influenced by Schopenhauer), the love potion the protagonists drink brings them not happiness, but suffering, madness, and death. The chromatic music, which refuses to resolve into a stable cadence until the final moment of death, illustrates passion as a destructive force that knows no satiety in this world. Indeed, Wagner lived out his own ideas: a deep hatred of Jews, betrayal of his wife and separation, and an unhappy, lonely life. The work is brought here as an educational study on the roots of hatred and self-destruction.