Love Without Feelings: A Rational Theory of Proto-Love and Value-Based Affection

This paper introduces a theory of proto-love: the earliest form of love rooted not in romanticemotion but in rational recognition of another person's value. We argue that belief-basedaffection is real, directional, and ethically significant, though emotionally incomplete. Thischallenges the traditional emotion-first model of love and proposes a phased evolution: beliefleading to care, later maturing into emotional love. The model has implications for psychology,philosophy of mind, and emerging human-AI relationships.