Phil 136 Final Exam
Question 1: In his piece, Kierkegaard writes about the love of the neighbor and how this love should be appreciated and valued more than friendship. He endorses the Biblical rule to love our neighbor as ourselves. Kierkegaard believes that self-love and neighbor-love are one in the same. In Christianity, love of the neighbor is talked about more than friendship. Kierkegaard mentions that if a Christian were to look up words about friendship in the Bible, he would have great difficulty, but if he were to look up words about neighbor-love then he will find descriptions that are “stronger and more authoritative than the last” (Kierkegaard 237). Already Kierkegaard has shown how love for the neighbor, in a Biblical sense, is …show more content…
In the final chapter, Nussbaum specifically focuses on the main question: “How Love Matters for Justice.” She ties in examples from both U.S. history and Indian history in order to explain how love can diminish emotions in societies today that are causing destruction. She mentions that “The type of imaginative engagement society needs, is nourished by love. Love, then matters for justice” (Nussbaum 380). Love prompts good behaviors and can diminish emotions such as fear, envy and shame. When we love other people we want to be good to them and wish the best for them, but as Nussbaum mentions it, like political love, can be threatened by “narrowness, partiality, and narcissism” (Nussbaum 384). The political stability that Nussbaum wishes for is impossible without emotional involvement. Love forms communities between people in which all people are valued and no one is viewed as the lesser human being. Nussbaum mentions that just “as personal love and friendship are at their best when they are directed…at the whole person with flaws and faults, so too with love of a city or country” (Nussbaum 393). Love matters for justice because it causes citizens to unite and embrace one another in order to solve problems and create an all-inclusive society. Of course, this is a far-reached idea so Nussbaum mentions that this thinking is more theoretical than practical today. Still, if we want to bring about political change in the world, love is required to unite and bring about this
Question 1: In his piece, Kierkegaard writes about the love of the neighbor and how this love should be appreciated and valued more than friendship. He endorses the Biblical rule to love our neighbor as ourselves. Kierkegaard believes that self-love and neighbor-love are one in the same. In Christianity, love of the neighbor is talked about more than friendship. Kierkegaard mentions that if a Christian were to look up words about friendship in the Bible, he would have great difficulty, but if he were to look up words about neighbor-love then he will find descriptions that are “stronger and more authoritative than the last” (Kierkegaard 237). Already Kierkegaard has shown how love for the neighbor, in a Biblical sense, is …show more content…
In the final chapter, Nussbaum specifically focuses on the main question: “How Love Matters for Justice.” She ties in examples from both U.S. history and Indian history in order to explain how love can diminish emotions in societies today that are causing destruction. She mentions that “The type of imaginative engagement society needs, is nourished by love. Love, then matters for justice” (Nussbaum 380). Love prompts good behaviors and can diminish emotions such as fear, envy and shame. When we love other people we want to be good to them and wish the best for them, but as Nussbaum mentions it, like political love, can be threatened by “narrowness, partiality, and narcissism” (Nussbaum 384). The political stability that Nussbaum wishes for is impossible without emotional involvement. Love forms communities between people in which all people are valued and no one is viewed as the lesser human being. Nussbaum mentions that just “as personal love and friendship are at their best when they are directed…at the whole person with flaws and faults, so too with love of a city or country” (Nussbaum 393). Love matters for justice because it causes citizens to unite and embrace one another in order to solve problems and create an all-inclusive society. Of course, this is a far-reached idea so Nussbaum mentions that this thinking is more theoretical than practical today. Still, if we want to bring about political change in the world, love is required to unite and bring about this