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Love is the Root of Happiness!: A Study on the Discourse of ‘Love Ethic’ in Contemporary Christian Ethics.

  • The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics
  • Abbr : 기사윤
  • 2012, (23), pp.83-121
  • Publisher : The Society Of Korean Christian Social Ethics
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology

Lee, Chang-Ho 1

1서울여자대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Given that love is the root of happiness, three questions inform my inquiry in this paper. The first is about the content of agape. What is agape? What normative implications does it contain? The second relates to the justification for universal and particular moral commitments in terms of love. On what grounds can each commitment be justified? The third discusses the relationship between agape as a universal love and special relations(family, friends, co-religionists,compatriots, etc.). Although many scholars have addressed the relationship between particular and universal moral commitments in the Christian tradition, I will highlight two major approaches to this inquiry. One is what I call ‘universality-centered’ approach. Gene Outka and Gilbert Meilaender represent this approach, which focuses on the content of agape and its connection to special relations. The other is what I call ‘particularity-centered’ approach. Its major proponents are Stephen Post and Stephen Pope, who evidently give the primacy to the special relations. I will proceed by briefly examining the two approaches and compare these three camps, highlighting similarities and differences among them. I conclude with some ethical suggestions which can contribute to a richer normative understanding of Christian love.

Citation status

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