Question The love shared between two individuals (romantic love) is often thought of as the most ineffable and sublime of human connections, but I can't help but feel that there is something less than satisfying at its foundations; an element of extreme frivolity. The fact is that love is dependent upon factors and conditions which one may think of as being somewhat superficial. Most conspicuous in my mind is the physical attractiveness of the object of one's love. We consider it to be highly superificial to let our judgement of a person be effected by our estimations of said person's physical appearance, yet this very quality is of extreme importance when it comes to who we fall in love with. Does it in anyway sully the integrity of love that its foundations are so superficial?

Accepted:

September 17, 2009