One of the things I get from your post is a kind of trivialization of love, you seem to be saying since anything with more than a brain stem can feel love its not as significant. That may not be your direct point but thats something ive got out of what your saying. Love is beautiful, real, intense, and one of the driving forces of humanity. Whether or not you give religion a grain of salt or not every single one of them has been putting a great emphasis on love since the beginning of time. Theres a reason this is so, with love towards all beings we bring happiness to ourself and others, when we are loving we feel a kind of peace, we dont feel so alone we feel connected. You seem to think that putting others before ourselves is merely just a mechanical reaction given to us by our genes. I choose to look at compassion and love as more than just instinctual automatic evolutionary adaptions to help our species survive. I see them as spontaneous acts of care, tenderness, compassion, love that is born out of seeing the oneness of all things, and bred from knowing how all people want happiness and to avoid suffering. Kindness, love and compassion are things that need to be nurtured, and contemplated but when you look at them as such mechanical evolutionary devices it takes all the humanness out of it. Ive seen so many people that talk literally exactly like you, its the die-hard science folks when they start discussing humanity to me it always comes off as cold, and mechanical. Dont get me wrong im not calling you cold, I dont hate science but I feel like your viewpoint is the materialistic view point that I could never care to live with. Ive found truth in what the great sages/mystics/contemplatives have been saying for 5000 years, ive experienced and had glimpses of what they say. Once you have a glimpse you cant ever go back to that way of seeing. If your interested in science/religion I can recommend you a book by the Dalai Lama called a universe in a single atom. Excellent book.
The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality:
Fascinated by science since boyhood, the Dalai Lama, unlike fundamentalists who resist scientific realities, has become convinced that a dialogue between religion and science will advance the wisdom of both disciplines
and greatly benefit humankind. He explains why in illuminating explications of how Buddhism and science are both predicated on focused observation, reasoning, and the ability to abandon outmoded ideas in the ongoing search for reality. He compares quantum physics with Buddhist philosophy and reveals how the theory of evolution echoes the Buddhist understanding that all of life is interconnected and in flux, and he writes with deep feeling about the pressing ethical questions raised by advancements in biotechnology. For all the provocative and detailed reasoning found in this soulful and mind-expanding book, what emerges most powerfully is the Dalai Lama's belief that science must embrace Buddhism's mission and work toward increasing compassion and alleviating suffering. Donna Seaman
