Love Doctor at Philosophy Debate

Kant expert and Hong Kong Baptist University Professor Dr. Stephen Palmquist offered a new exegesis of the Good Samaritan at the Trinity International University (TIU) Philosophy Department’s 5th annual Trinity Debate in the Kantzer Auditorium Apr 19.

Palmquist – still wearing his skinny maroon tie, purple pastel dress shirt and tan blazer from his graduate years at Oxford University, and possibly from his undergrad years at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. – lectured on "Love at the Crossroads: Christ and Kant on the Greatest Commandment."

“Jesus interprets the commandment to love God first and foremost and to love those who show mercy,” he said.

The Greatest Commandment is twofold: love your God and love your neighbor. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked the lawyer, “Who proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

The lawyer replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” It is traditionally believed that Jesus is telling the lawyer to be like the Good Samaritan.

“But that’s not all he’s saying,” said Palmquist, “Jesus undoubtedly says love your enemy, but that is not the greatest commandment.”

Go and show mercy likewise.

Jesus directly answers the lawyer by saying that the people you should associate yourself with are those who show mercy, according to Palmquist. But he admits that he doesn’t holdfast to this interpretation.

“I haven’t decided yet; depends on what day it is,” he said.

Many students and professors confessed to hearing such an interpretation for the first time, including TIU Philosophy Professor Chris Firestone. He hosted the lecture and allotted 5 points – 1 quiz-worth – to each of his students who attended.

Firestone was introduced to the Kant subculture of philosophy when he met Palmquist in Hong Kong 12 years ago and uses Palmquist’s Tree of Philosophy as a textbook for teaching his Introduction to Philosophy course.

On the Friday following the lecture, Palmquist also left Firestone’s students at a crossroads between philosophy and religion when he guest-spoke about Kant in two classes.

Kant, an 18th century German, wrote three critiques, which were part of a system dubbed Critical Philosophy. He is not normally regarded to talk about love, but in Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals he uses the word love 21 times. 11 times it refers to self-love, or inclinations.

According to Kant, the principal of our moral choice should be the categorical imperative, or moral law: “act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”

When we are at a moral crossroads, Kant sees love for God as respect for the moral law. To love God as a command is essentially saying that we say no to our inclinations. Kant calls it a “practical love.”

He has said once that love cannot be commanded and another time that, if we understand the moral crossroads, it can be commanded. Kant is cited famously for saying, “I have found it necessary to deny knowledge in order to make room for faith.”

“The hall of his philosophy may be a compass for love,” suggested Palmquist. Kant puts us at the crossroads between philosophy and theology: Plato’s truth, goodness and beauty versus Paul’s love hope and faith.

“Kant too would say with Paul that in the end there remain three things: faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love,” said Palmquist.

He has written six books and the latest, The Waters of Love, is a textbook of introductory lectures on love, sexuality, marriage, and friendship.



Trinity Digest
Vol.54 -- Issue 11
Nicole Collins,
Staff Writer