Should you love your enemies?
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Come join us for some informal philisophical discussion. No prior knowledge or research is needed, but an open mind is.
In the spirit of MLK Day, this week we will be discussing: should we apply empathy and nonviolence towards people who have hateful views? Let's look at 2 examples (one confirming, one disconfirming), both by people with good intentions, but with very different results.
Confirming Example: Daryl Davis and KKK Members
Daryl Davis, an African American musician, exemplifies loving enemies by engaging Ku Klux Klan members through dialogue and kindness. Over decades, he attended rallies, hosted them at home, and built relationships based on empathy. This led to over 200 members renouncing the Klan, including leader Roger Kelly, who gave Davis his robes. It shows how non-confrontational love can transform hatred, echoing teachings from Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr.
Disconfirming Example: Neville Chamberlain's Appeasement of Hitler
Neville Chamberlain's 1938 Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler, allowing Nazi annexation of Czech territory for "peace," illustrates the pitfalls of loving enemies through naive concessions. Hitler, emboldened, invaded Poland in 1939, sparking World War II and millions of deaths. This highlights how unchecked empathy can enable aggression, aligning with Nietzsche's critique of weakness as virtue and realpolitik's emphasis on strength.
Discussion questions:
- How can we explain the very different outcomes of these 2 cases?
- How can we determine when to be empathetic, and when to be aggressive, or seek a "peace through strength" style of solution?
- How can we apply these ideas in our personal lives?
If you're not familiar with either example, I recommend spending at least a few minutes familiarizing yourself, as it will aid the discussion.