The lecture explores the morality and rationality of loving individuals who may be considered morally deficient or harmful.
Two main philosophical perspectives discussed: Love as a mental attitude and love as an action.
Examines examples from real life and pop culture to illustrate these concepts.
Key Philosophical Theories of Love
Love as a Mental Attitude (David J Velleman and Kieran Setia)
Velleman and Setia's Perspective:
Love is about appreciating someone's inherent value.
Everyone has value simply by being human, therefore it is rational to love everyone.
Vellemanās view is influenced by Kant, stating that our value comes from being rational, autonomous beings.
Setia focuses on the value of being human.
Implications:
We can love individuals even if they have done bad things, separating the attitude of love from actions.
Love does not necessarily mean condoning bad actions.
Examples: Parents loving their children despite committing crimes.
Love as an Action (Bell Hooks)
Hooks' Perspective:
Love is intrinsically tied to right actions and care.
True love cannot exist without acting lovingly and morally.
Critique of separating love from moral actions.
Implications:
Loving a bad person would mean either they don't truly love back or acting in harmful ways disables the existence of love.
Structural inequalities and trauma can affect one's ability to act lovingly.
Real-life Examples and Cultural Context
Parents and Offspring: Parents loving problematic or even criminal children.
Famous Relationships: Ruth Bader Ginsburgās friendship with conservative justices.
Pop Culture: Taylor Swift's relationship with individuals that contradict her public personas.
Therapeutic Relationships: Therapists dealing with abusive patients and the psychological complexities involved.
Psychoanalytic Insights
Jessica Benjamin on abuse and projections:
Children in abusive households absorbing parentsā toxic projections.
Creates a paradox where they project their internalized ābadnessā onto others.
Therapeutic relationships may challenge these projections, causing resistance.
Practical Considerations
Friendship and Romance:
Friendships and romantic relationships require taking each otherās values and lives seriously, which can get complicated if the other party has harmful traits.
Influence and vulnerability in close relationships.
Challenges and Critiques
Therapy-Speak and Pathologizing:
Criticism of modern therapeutic language as a means to avoid dealing with personal flaws and responsibilities.
Hyper-individualization can sometimes inhibit true loving relationships.
Role of Structural Inequalities:
Current life conditions and historical traumas influence actions and thereby complicate the idea of moral and loving actions.
Conclusion
Ongoing Debate: No clear-cut answers, but various theories and perspectives help shape the debate on the morality of loving bad people.
Self-Reflection: Understanding personal biases, ideals, and contexts in which one engages in loving relationships.
Invitation for Discussion: Encouragement to reflect and discuss personal experiences and thoughts on loving individuals with moral shortcomings.