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Urban Altruism: Seeking the Welfare of the City

Urban Altruism: Seeking the Welfare of the City Student Research from PHIL 390 at Calvin College | Directed by James K.A. Smith. Background to Student Research. Philosophy Hits the Streets.

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Urban Altruism: Seeking the Welfare of the City

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  1. Urban Altruism: Seeking the Welfare of the City Student Research from PHIL 390 at Calvin College | Directed by James K.A. Smith Background to Student Research Philosophy Hits the Streets Students in the seminar engaged both classical and contemporary texts in philosophy (from Augustine and Aquinas to Levinas and Kristeva), coupled with recent research in the social sciences, all with a view to think concretely about the configuration of place and its impact on our relationships. The projects presented here are informed by these theoretical investigations, and aim to make that “hit the ground” in practical ways. The posters exhibited here are the fruit of student research in a philosophy seminar at Calvin College, entitled “Seeking the Welfare of the City: Urban Altruism and Loving our Neighbor(hood)s.” Through engagement with readings and research in philosophy, sociology, urban planning, and theology, students considered how material conditions affect relationships, community, and ethical obligation. Core Questions • What would it mean to take seriously Jesus’ injunction to love our neighbors? • How could we recover a sense of the proximity of love? How could we take seriously the geography of this ethical vision? • How does the configuration of space affect our relationships with others, and our understanding of ethical obligation? • In what ways to urban environments foster “altruism” or other-regarding concern? • In what way do suburban environments and commuter behaviors foster isolation and perhaps even egoism? • If Jesus’ vision of agapic love hinges on love of the neighbor, then shouldn’t we think seriously about how this plays itself out in the very real, incarnate, concrete proximity of our neighborhoods? • How could we connect Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor with Jeremiah’s prophetic vision of “seeking the welfare of the city” (Jer. 29:7)? • How could we cultivate a sense of urban altruism? Course Website Visit the seminar website at: www.calvin.edu/~jks4/city/seminar.html The site includes student research, literature reviews, reading resources, and links to other sources on the web. Who is my neighbor? When Jesus summarizes the “greatest commandment,” it is a two-fold obligation that hinges on love: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39; Luke 10:27 echoing Leviticus 19:18). It is intriguing to note that when Jesus points to the centrality of love, he also invokes a metaphor which is not familial (e.g., “brother” or “friend”) or ethnic (e.g., “your people”), but almost geographical: we are to love the neighbor.

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