Week 7 Conclusion Of The Topic Of Love And A Naturalistic View Of Death
HUMA1000: Cultures and Values (L3):
Love, Death and
Human Nature
Prof. Simon Wong
Division of Humanities hmmhwong@ust.hk The debate on love with and without distinction (cont’d)
• Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued):
2.(corresponding to Chan’s first reason) The love without distinction comes from the extension of love with distinction. Or, the love without distinction is manifested through the love with distinction. Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– How can I love a stranger to the extent that I love him/her as myself or my parents? This love for the stranger come from or is rooted in my love for myself and my parents.—“Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of humanity”; “to establish the character of oneself and that of others.” Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– I love my parents—I agree to the fact that everybody should love their parents.—I respect everybody loving their parents.—I love everybody loving their parents.—I love their parents.—I love their parents to the extent that I love them as my parents. Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– Mencius talks about “one foundation”; this foundation is love for our parents. When he criticizes I Chih as having “two foundations”
(parents and other people), he means that I Chih has cut off from the foundation (origin or root) of love (which is one’s love for one’s parents).
(Mencius 3A:5)
Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– Being cut off from one’s foundation of love, what we call “universal love” becomes a kind of abstract love. This is just an abstract idea of love which is not true love. Without love, one becomes an animal. (Mencius 3B:9)
Conclusion of the topic of love
• Two conceptions of love are introduced: humanity (by the Confucians) and universal love
(by the Mohists).
• While they have similarities, there are two important differences
Love, Death and
Human Nature
Prof. Simon Wong
Division of Humanities hmmhwong@ust.hk The debate on love with and without distinction (cont’d)
• Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued):
2.(corresponding to Chan’s first reason) The love without distinction comes from the extension of love with distinction. Or, the love without distinction is manifested through the love with distinction. Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– How can I love a stranger to the extent that I love him/her as myself or my parents? This love for the stranger come from or is rooted in my love for myself and my parents.—“Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of humanity”; “to establish the character of oneself and that of others.” Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– I love my parents—I agree to the fact that everybody should love their parents.—I respect everybody loving their parents.—I love everybody loving their parents.—I love their parents.—I love their parents to the extent that I love them as my parents. Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– Mencius talks about “one foundation”; this foundation is love for our parents. When he criticizes I Chih as having “two foundations”
(parents and other people), he means that I Chih has cut off from the foundation (origin or root) of love (which is one’s love for one’s parents).
(Mencius 3A:5)
Reasons to support the idea of love with distinction (continued)
– Being cut off from one’s foundation of love, what we call “universal love” becomes a kind of abstract love. This is just an abstract idea of love which is not true love. Without love, one becomes an animal. (Mencius 3B:9)
Conclusion of the topic of love
• Two conceptions of love are introduced: humanity (by the Confucians) and universal love
(by the Mohists).
• While they have similarities, there are two important differences