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Even though there often appears to be traces of romance and love being intertwined in various cultures and societies throughout history, [[Gary Zukav]], best selling author of Seat of the Soul and Soul Stories, views romantic love as being an [[illusion]], stating that the concept of romantic love can never be truly fulfilling. He states that "Romance is your desire to make yourself complete through another person rather than through your own inner work.", thus isolating the idea of romance from the concept of "true love." His argument is that "real love" is more beneficial than romantic involvement alone.

Even though there often appears to be traces of romance and love being intertwined in various cultures and societies throughout history, [[Gary Zukav]], best selling author of Seat of the Soul and Soul Stories, views romantic love as being an [[illusion]], stating that the concept of romantic love can never be truly fulfilling. He states that "Romance is your desire to make yourself complete through another person rather than through your own inner work.", thus isolating the idea of romance from the concept of "true love." His argument is that "real love" is more beneficial than romantic involvement alone.

Romantic love may, then, be a [[sexual]] [[love]]. "Sexual" is a loaded term, and "spiritual" is vague. By saying romance is always a form of sexual love, it is meant that while it tries to transcend these things, it never escapes their inclusion entirely and it proceeds, either in some sense ''away'' from these things in terms of origin, or ''toward'' them as in some sense subordinate to sex as a goal, though drawn to mental and spiritual qualities  that attempts to transcend, in some cases entirely, mere needs driven by physical appearances, lust, or material and social gain. This transcending, ultimately, implies not just that personality is more essential, which could be considered a truism, and a view that might appear without much regard to virtue, ranging from the noble to the most shallow character. Rather, romance tends to strive to see, or suppose it can see, personality as attractive in a fundamentally higher ''sense.'' In some religions, all forms of love (and art) may be regarded as indirectly seeking [[God]]--and therefore adding to a relationship with God--whereas at the same time, such lesser objects of love are sometimes regarded as distinct from God and an obstacle in the path of [[spirituality]].     

Romantic love may, then, be a [[sexuality|sexual]] [[love]]. "Sexual" is a loaded term, and "spiritual" is vague. By saying romance is always a form of sexual love, it is meant that while it tries to transcend these things, it never escapes their inclusion entirely and it proceeds, either in some sense ''away'' from these things in terms of origin, or ''toward'' them as in some sense subordinate to sex as a goal, though drawn to mental and spiritual qualities  that attempts to transcend, in some cases entirely, mere needs driven by physical appearances, lust, or material and social gain. This transcending, ultimately, implies not just that personality is more essential, which could be considered a truism, and a view that might appear without much regard to virtue, ranging from the noble to the most shallow character. Rather, romance tends to strive to see, or suppose it can see, personality as attractive in a fundamentally higher ''sense.'' In some religions, all forms of love (and art) may be regarded as indirectly seeking [[God]]--and therefore adding to a relationship with God--whereas at the same time, such lesser objects of love are sometimes regarded as distinct from God and an obstacle in the path of [[spirituality]].     

Not only theologians, but many philosophers debate this, especially in continental philosophy in [[existentialism]], and in [[analytic philosophy]], in views such as [[emotivism]]. After the emotivist turn in philosophy, in other words, there was a pressure to reduce moral judgment to some kind of aesthetic judgment. Romantic love moves beyond bodily things on a certain assumption. In other words, any palpable aspect of the person can be cynically chalked up to appearance. What is assumed is not merely that personality is ''of [[value]]'' in a more profound sense than the body. (This is a truism easy to defend given the obvious fact of the mind as the most complicated aspect of the person and where he or she is encountered in the most distinctive and compelling way). Rather, the critical assumption is that the personality is ''attractive'' in a fundamentally ''different'' sense from the body as well.  This, then is the question of spirituality in romance, taking into account many religious, philosophical and historical views. For example, in realizing that romantic love can never be inherently [[spiritual]], one supposedly passes to a higher spiritual plane, beyond the worldly, which [[Buddha|Buddhism]] may answer with the notion of [[anatman]]. Things lesser than [[personality]], however, as well as the practical aspects of personality, always play a role in romance's arousal and justification.  

Not only theologians, but many philosophers debate this, especially in continental philosophy in [[existentialism]], and in [[analytic philosophy]], in views such as [[emotivism]]. After the emotivist turn in philosophy, in other words, there was a pressure to reduce moral judgment to some kind of aesthetic judgment. Romantic love moves beyond bodily things on a certain assumption. In other words, any palpable aspect of the person can be cynically chalked up to appearance. What is assumed is not merely that personality is ''of [[value]]'' in a more profound sense than the body. (This is a truism easy to defend given the obvious fact of the mind as the most complicated aspect of the person and where he or she is encountered in the most distinctive and compelling way). Rather, the critical assumption is that the personality is ''attractive'' in a fundamentally ''different'' sense from the body as well.  This, then is the question of spirituality in romance, taking into account many religious, philosophical and historical views. For example, in realizing that romantic love can never be inherently [[spiritual]], one supposedly passes to a higher spiritual plane, beyond the worldly, which [[Buddha|Buddhism]] may answer with the notion of [[anatman]]. Things lesser than [[personality]], however, as well as the practical aspects of personality, always play a role in romance's arousal and justification.