Philosophers Investigate Love
Wesleyan Philosophical Society members and guests explored the meaning,
expression, and history of love at the society's March 2006 meeting.
The meeting's program chair, Craig Boyd of Azusa Pacific University,
gathered together philosophers from a variety of backgrounds for a
wide-ranging, yet in-depth, philosophical exploration.
Society President, Eric Manchester of Caldwell College, examined
philia, eros, and agape in his presidential address. He argued that
philia is characterized by the desire to love another as one's equal,
whereas eros suggests the frenzy of passion and agape the heights of
transcendence.
Manchester looked as John Wesley's theologically-oriented
understanding of the relationship of love to politics and showed how it
differs fundamentally from the philosophical approaches of Aristotle,
democratic liberalism, and socialism. These approaches attempt to find
a basis for love and/or equality based purely on the natural image of
human beings.
The sacramental life of the Church, says Manchester, can facilitate
philia and integrate eros and agape. The sacramental life does this
facilitation in the relations between humans and between God and humans
in a way that the philosophical models cannot. "The Church alone,
through the sacraments, is able to respond to the depths of human
needs-to provide the integration of all three dimensions of love-and in
so doing," says Manchester, "promote political life which can
accommodate, though not initiate, this realization." Sacramental love
perfects what is true in each of three political models considered here,
while overcoming their limitations.
The 2006 meeting included sixteen paper presentations. Paper topics
ranged from divine impassibility, to eros, process philosophy, love as
affection, the relation of love to politics, ethics, science and
religion, Augustinian love, personalism, naturalism, mind-body problems,
theodicy, friendship, and more.
Several important decisions were made at the society's business
meeting. Among those decisions, Robert J. Thompson of Northwest
Nazarene University was elected 2nd Vice-President.
"Themes in Wesleyan and Catholic Thought" has been chosen by 1st
Vice-President, L. Brian Williams of Warner-Pacific University, for the
focus of the society's next meeting. The society wants to encourage
dialogue between Wesleyans and Roman Catholics at the March 2007
conference to be held at Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais,
Illinois.
Papers, photos, and additional information about the 2006 and 2007
meetings will be added to the society website in the coming months. The
WPS website address is:
http://home.snu.edu/~brint/wpsjnl/
