Loving justice, living shakespeare

Loving Justice, Living Shakespeare asks why love is regarded as the highest human value in some cultural sectors—such as religion, literature and the arts—and is not even on the map in others—philosophy, law, and political thought. In the biblical vision, “love the neighbor” is both the law and a description of justice. And yet, while religious thinkers cannot conceive of justice without love, for political philosophers, justice and love belong in completely different spheres, rational and public vs. emotional and private. Loving Justice, Living Shakespeareengages with our dominant ideas of justice, including theories of contract, fair distribution, and retribution, and shows how they fall short without love. Shakespeare emerges as the carrier of this love tradition: his plays stage that justice must be driven by love—no mere private passion, but an understanding of care for one another, care that is central to a just world.