Abstract This research attempts to discern what Martin Luther King, Jr. meant by love and justice. The paper shows how he referred to these phrases as they relate to God's dynamic action seeking to create, restore and preserve God's community by participating in creation. The paper begins by describing how de facto racism and other forms of social injustice have become widely accepted norms both in the church and American social and economic life in the 21st century.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Chapter 1 Introduction
Significance Of Research
Methodology
Literature Review
Chapter 2 Love In Its Different Forms
Sacrificial Love
Mutual Love
Love As Equal Regard
Delivering Love
Chapter 3 Justice As Agape Love In Action Within Community
Radical Agape Love--Loving One's Enemies
Love, Justice, And The Image Of God
Love, Justice And Unity
Love, Justice And Integration
Chapter 4 Freedom, Sacrifice And Communal Responsibility
Limits To Freedom In The Beloved Community
Community Ruled By Agape Love
Agape Love And Interdependence
Communal Responsibility That Cares Comprehensively
Chapter 5 King's Vision Of Dynamic Love
The Command To Love
Love, Justice And Goodwill
Self-Giving And Cross-Bearing
Creative Altruism
Chapter 6 King's Vision Of Justice And The Beloved Community
The Color-Blind Doctrine From Plessy To King
Color-Blind Or Color Conscious?
Beyond Civil Rights: Poor People's Campaign For The 21st Century
King's "Law" Of Justice As Agape Love In Action
Chapter 7 Tokenism And Justice: An American Perspective
The Increasing Significance Of Class And Race: From King To The 21st Century
Statistical Data Of Economic Disparity Along The Color-Line
God's Law Of Justice And The Role Of The Church As Custodians Of Agape Love
Chapter 8 Conclusion
What Should Christians Be Doing To Keep Justice As Agape Love In Action?
Where Do We Go From Here?
From the Paper "The nature and function of agape love in action requires a backward glance to traditional Greek mythology as communicated by Hesiod in particular, and poets and philosophers in general. According to Gordis, "The Greek epic poet Hesiod described human history as consisting of four successive ages, of gold, silver, copper, and iron, and the present was the last and the worst. The Prophets reversed this universal belief by positing the conviction that man's Golden Age lay in the future." While the Civil Rights Movement has not fully achieved all of its objectives, the movement managed to realize some fundamental reforms. For example, legal segregation as a system of racial control was dismantled, and African-Americans were no longer subject to the humiliation of various "Jim Crow" laws. According to Turner, "By 1956, a great deal of black blood had been spilled challenging the Jim Crow system, but the civil rights movement had achieved some major victories on the path to full black citizenship. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Pres. Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty established the promise for full integration of African-Americans into society." Furthermore, a wide range of public institutions were opened to all citizens and African-Americans achieved the right to vote and the influence that went with that right in a free democracy; nevertheless, scarcely a day goes by the underlying racial tensions in America do not erupt in some form or another."
Abstract This paper explains that Charles Peirce's theory called, "The Law of the Mind", was based on Peirce's belief that the concepts of evolution and philosophy were intricately connected and were part of the same process. The paper further explains that Peirce combined concepts such as synechism, tychism and agapism, terms that literally mean continuity, chance and love respectively, to arrive at his theory of "The Law of the Mind". These concepts, according to Peirce, together form the larger process called reality.
From the Paper "In this regard, his theory of agapism plays a crucial role. According to Peirce, it is agapism that gives man courage to move ahead in the unknown or take risks with his life. This is an interesting concept which is deeply grounded in ethical and religious teachings as Peirce often referred to God when explaining this theory. Peirce believed that growth comes from unconditional love. This meant that if a person is certain of receiving unconditional love no matter what he does, he is more likely to take risks and do something with his life. Peirce like Dewey subscribed to Darwin's theory of evolution but also maintained the growth spiritual as well as physical was subject to agapism and those who grow the most are the ones who believe in unconditional love. Agape is derived from Greek verb agapan which referred to caring for children and servants, people who are under one's care and responsibility. In the New and Old Testament, agape has been used in the context of God's unconditional love for mankind. Agape however must not be confused with sexual love as it tends to move in a downward direction and is basically spiritual in nature."
Abstract This paper examines literature and research on the subject of Eros, the form of love equated with sexuality. The paper explains that Eros is often the target of scorn by religionists, sociologists and psychologists. Yet Eros was the first form of love, which was depicted in the story of Adam and Eve. The paper argues that the disparaging of Eros, in favor of other forms such as agape, has resulted in societal chaos and intense gender-based power struggles between man and woman. The paper examines the recent movement to return Eros to its once exalted role, and the prominent featuring of this movement in a number of articles published recently in academic journals cutting across a wide swath of communications-related disciplines.
From the Paper "Another commentator regarding Eros in education is Adams. Writing in the Western Journal of Communication, she proposed that it was blasphemous to keep Eros out of the academic world. She notes that Plato taught that "Thought without Eros is empty; and Eros, if directed only toward the sensual, without thought, is blind." She quotes, as well, Audre Lord, whose teachings included the concept that Eros was irreducible, an essential part of each person's selfhood and therefore, to negate it-verbally or actively-was to deny one's own existence. A long article by Smith discussing the work of author Nadine Gordimer, notes that in her work, although the concepts were derived from Eastern thought, it is impossible to separate Eros from all other forms of love."
Abstract The paper begins by listing Lewis? four types of love - affection, friendship, romantic love and charity, and by emphasizing that no form of natural love can outlive charity (Agape), the love that comes from God as divine. It outlines the main theme of the book and distinguishes between these forms of love using quotes from the book to illustrate its points. Next the paper turns to the philosophy of divine love (love from God) ? a form different to all other types of love. It explores why it is the most important form of love for the spiritual development of an individual. It looks at the love relationship between God and man, elucidating how a healthy relationship involves need on the part of humans; and explains how a relationship with God, not based on need, could be perilous.
Table of Contents
The Theme
Distinguishing the Forms of Love
The Philosophy of Divine Love
The Element of Need
A Human's Love for God without Need
Conclusion
From the Paper "The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis focuses to develop the reader's comprehension of the various forms of love. Explaining from the biblical, as well as the modern perspective, Lewis enlightens that there are four forms of love: affection, friendship, romantic love and charity. In Greek, the affection between people and for things is called Storge; fraternal love and friendship is known as Phileo; Eros is the name given to romantic or sexual love; and charity or the love of God, in its divinity is termed Agape. With straightforwardness and cordiality, C.S. Lewis elucidates the ambiguity in one of the most shared and influential experience of human relationships. Lewis emphasizes that no form of natural love can outlive without Agape, the love that comes from God as divine."
This paper looks for the definition of love in four sources: Ovid's "The Metamorphoses", C.S. Lewis' "The Four Loves", Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and the New Testament.
Abstract This paper, in the search for definition, explains that the Greek word agape (love) seems to have been virtually a Christian invention. The author cites another type of love, affection or friendship love also know as phileo. The author finds many types of love in "Romeo and Juliet", in which Shakespeare managed to combine love of God with love for humans. Long quotations.
From the Paper "Throughout the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet various types of "love" are displayed. Benvolio believes women are interchangeable, while, at the beginning Romeo believes love is pain. At the beginning, Juliet does not even have a definition of love. Paris's and Lady Capulet's definition of love is in appearance. It is obvious that Shakespeare wants the audience to believe that the only "true" or "real" love is the love that exists between Romeo and Juliet. The first type of love the audience is introduced to is the "interchangeable" love of Benvolio. According to Benvolio, a man should "love" a woman for only the duration of their relationship. If their relationship should end, the man should feel no grief. If the woman rejects the man initially, he should still feel no grief. In either situation, the man should simply start a relationship with another woman. Benvolio's definition of love shows the audience two things about Benvolio: he is a womanizer and he has never before experienced "true love.""
Abstract This essay compares the type of love experienced between two individuals, known as romantic love, with the type of love experienced between a parent and child, known as agape love. The paper looks at how the two types of love are different and how they are alike and concludes that both of them are painful, powerful, and universal.
From the Paper "At five years old, I could barely understand the words printed on the refrigerator magnets by Kim Casali. One of Casali's quips read, "Love is"The right person, the right place.? Another read "Love is"not losing a loved one, but gaining an angel.? At five, I barely understood the meaning behind Casali's words; love was beyond grown-up analysis. Love was simple: Love was my mom, my dad, my friend, the sense of being appreciated, understood, and valued for my uniqueness. Come puberty, love took on an entirely new meaning. Love became divested of its universal, unconditional, spiritual nature and became clothed in visions of romance and eroticism. Forcing eighth-graders to read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as opposed to King Lear is probably no accident; teenagers feel romantic love as intently as a baby feels hunger. However, the type of love that a sixteen-year old feels for her boyfriend is of a different quality than the type of love a five-year old feels for her mom. When I read Casali's "Love is"? series of comics on my parents? refrigerator, for instance, I did not know what "Love is"getting lost in your thoughts about him? meant. That particular comic refers specifically to erotic love, a concept that most five-year olds do not understand."
Abstract This paper begins by distinguishing between the two theories: Deontological approaches have, as the overarching "one" a norm or norms by which we live. Consequentialist ethics, in judging acts, rests on a controlling factor, such as agape love, the greatest good for the greatest number or increasing the total pleasure of man. Both approaches have strengths and weaknesses such as the danger of "I was just following the rules" in the deontological approach and consequentialism's main weaknesses of measurement; something such as love being indefinable Though they are different, they both lack from being isolated from the other and the more existential and community based ethical systems.
From the Paper "A deontological approach to ethics is self-justified and intrinsically grounded. Its reference point is a norm or authority or being against which or who there is no argument (Gill P.5). In contrast, the consequentialist approach looks at the end product of a rule or act. The consequences are measured against a certain standard or goal in order to determine if they are desirable. For instance murder is wrong because society would break down if it weren?t treated that way (P.7). They both have certain deficiencies that outweigh their strengths if they are used in isolation. They need to be informed by one another and by a third dimension, which could be called the existentialist. Only then do they make a useful organic whole."
Abstract This paper examines several different philosophical, religious, and contemporary definitions of the word "love", with an emphasis on early Greek definitions, and then looks at how these different definitions fit in with the notion of God's love for man.
Defining love: Background
Eros
Philia
Agape Being Unloved
Conclusion
From the Paper "Being loved and unloved is not a debate for philosophy. It may be a debate for sociology, or psychology, but not for philosophy. Being loved or unloved is not a reality; it is merely a feeling. How many students, for example, say they are unloved and engage in crazy acts, as did that young woman who recently "kidnapped" herself because she was having boyfriend problems? She has a psychological problem, not a philosophical dilemma concerning the nature of love. It is the nature of love, which is an appropriate subject for philosophers. Indeed, the question "What is love"? has bedeviled humanity since it was tossed out of the Garden of Eden. While Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they had no need of love, nor any need of ?not love.? Where they were was paradise, perfection. How can there be a need of anything in the midst of perfection? If one had a need, for love or anything else, it would not be perfection."
Abstract This paper discusses different interpretations of the meaning of love and how love means different things to different people. The paper explains that love is clearly not limited to one concept of attraction nor is it necessarily based on attraction at all. Love can be selfless and giving or it can be based on the need to acquire an object of desire. It may not be possible to define love in any single manner that satisfies all philosophers or that explains all relationships. The paper points out, however, that without love human beings would no longer have such a unique position in this world.
From the Paper "It would seem to come as no surprise to most of us that a difference exists between love and sex. To many people, love, is the means to sex, which is the end to those means. Other people, perhaps not quite as many, would conclude that the opposite is true, that sex is the means by which we end with love. Regardless of a person's position, it remains clear that love and sex are not necessarily the same thing. A good argument for that position is that all animals reproduce using some kind of sexual function, but only human beings appear to experience love."
Abstract The paper describes how the film, "Good Night, and Good Luck"
takes place in the hostile environment of the "Red Scare" in 1950s America. The paper relates that "Good Night, and Good Luck" tells the story of the CBS broadcast team who overcome immense pressure from sponsors, owners and even the government in an attempt to broadcast the truth to America. The paper examines how the characters face three ethical dilemmas that are a reflection of the difficult ethical choices that exist in the media.
From the Paper "There are numerous ethical issues facing the characters in "Good Night, and Good Luck." The primary ethical issue is Edward Murrow's quest to maintain what he believes his right from wrong in his reporting of the news. A second ethical issue is Joseph McCarthy's apparent unethical decision to use lies to get his point of view across. He calls anyone that crosses or dares oppose him a Communist. A third ethical decision involves the CBS Studio who decides to turn a blind eye to the in house marriage which is against company rules and regulations."
