LOVING MY NEIGHBOR, LOVING MYSELF

The biblical injunction to love one’s neighbour has long been regarded as a central pillar of morality. It is taken to be an ideal which gives direction to our moral aspirations, even though most of us find it difficult to live up to, owing to our selfish natures. But the difficulties I wish to raise are of a logical kind, as distinct from those depending on personal character. They fall under three headings: the first concerns the scope of 'my neighbour’, the second the injunction to love, and the third the idea of loving oneself. The first will probably be the most familiar. © 1993, The Royal Institute of Philosophy. All rights reserved.