What is this thing called love?

I heard Gwyneth Paltrow singing Cole Porter's song on the YouTube, and I was moved
by her voice ...  and her pausing ... [*] So much so the question became serious for me
and this is my literal reply:

"Love" is not a thing: it is the word referring to what you - and most other persons - do;
the flesh-and-blood figures who show us the meaning of love are the people who do so;
talk of the partner with warmth; write poetry and love stories; or the birds who migrate
from Alaska to the South Pole, and mate with their one and only; and attend to and care
for their offspring.

Political activists could campaign for sciences that study mutual attraction.  Researchers
could discuss Nature and Nurture, with environmentalists and humanists.   Citizens could
entertain the scientific philosophy which says: "look carefully".  

What is this thing called 'thought'?
A thing it is not: there is really no such thing as an abstract thought. 
The thinkers are the ones we can touch; and observe ... see and hear ... as they exchange
their opinions in conversations; or write what they think in their emails, or in facebooks.
The same goes for 'cognition' and any mental or intellectual activity.

So long as we don't confuse anybody with too many abstract concepts, no harm done.
After all, we adults already know that others can tell what we think; otherwise, there'd
be no use in lying or pretending - even amicable socialisation would be futile. Whereas
we know, this is not true; we even teach children why and when to say what they think:
defend others from unjust slights; giving people and animals credit where credit is due.    

Monday, December 5, 2011
What Is This Thing Called Behavior?

Of course we can say, the concept 'behavior' refers to what people and animals really
do... see and hear, and imagine, feel and sense, and expect; move and come to a halt;
wait for distant signals, look for familiar signs; choose or prefer a new trail or an old path.

All's well with the term 'behavior' and 'behavior analysis' and even 'radical behaviorism'
is okay - provided you mention human and other organisms, more often than you refer
to 'behaviors' in the abstract, using too many nouns, not enough verbs.
This tendency can be cured by behaviorists who already quantify the rate of response:
frequencies can be counted and recorded, and compared, and assessed for their social
value while considering the health of the individuals who are involved.

We could also go along the etymological trail to find the history of to be and to have
over the centuries... how people spoke long ago...   Also, we could disclose what the
negative not behaving means; and in tongues other than English.
Readers might ask people from various countries what they imply when they identify
youngsters as "not behaving". My guess is, we would then understand quite well what
is meant when somebody tells someone "to behave" --- "or else".
And decide whether we're looking at an electron or a machine; a market or a person.
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[*] This rendition, in the film Infamous, is based on a real-life nightclub performance
      by Barbara Cook