Love and Ethics
There are many theories on the relationship between Love and morals. Some argue that Love is not a moral emotion, while others disagree. While morals dictate equal Love for everyone, Love dictates that when a person loves someone, the loved person will get more attention, preference, and favors than other people. The conflict arises when one is put in a situation where they have to choose between someone they love and someone they do not love while still being fair and just. One is considered immoral by favoring the loved person, but if the person not loved is selected, one is seen as if they don’t love those they claim to love.
However, this concept misses the point that the primal need to love and be loved supports many values or morals that guide one’s actions. As long as anyone embraces Love, then they recognize the importance of having morals in their lives. For example, people who love their families and friends value honesty, trust, selflessness, sharing, compassion, forgiveness, and values that build happy and healthy relationships (Goerger 191). In workplaces, people who love their jobs are hardworking, honest, and dedicated to earning the trust of their customers. Essentially, whenever people claim to love anything or anyone, emotion brings out morals because immoral actions contradict Love (Goerger 192).
A quote that I found to be engaging is that of Erich Fromm, which Hooks quotes in her book, “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth” (Hooks 19). According to this quote, Love is an act of will, requiring one’s intention and action. In addition, “an act of will” means choice; therefore, one can choose not to love and whom to love. This quote contradicts the common knowledge that one cannot determine who they fall in Love with; instead, the heart does so for them. People meet many people in life; thus, it is not for them to decide whom to love. I can’t entirely agree with this quote because it would mean that individuals can choose not to love someone or when to love someone. Instead, Love is a more complex, uncontrollable emotion that is usually unpredictable.
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References
Goerger, Michael Paul. Love and Morality: Toward an Ethic of Universal Love. Diss. UC Riverside, 2011.
Hooks, Bell. All about Love: New visions. Harper Perennial, 2001.
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Question
All About Love, bell hooks, p. 1- 14 AND p. 31- 68
As is evident from the title, Bell Hooks’s book is all about Love. How may her different assessments of Love be applicable to ethics? Ethics is the study of moral principles governing how one should act. Where does Love fit into such a study? For this discussion, I’d like you to:
- Discuss why the topic of Love may be a moral issue.
- Choose a quote from the book that you found particularly engaging and explain why.
(34) Bell Hooks love – YouTube Lecture
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