Big Think
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Why caring for others shouldn’t always be rational
Posted
July 22, 2025
Views
200,267
Likes
1,579
Comments
114
Engagement
0.85%
July 22, 2025
200,267
1,579
114
0.85%
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3:14Now PlayingThis interview is an episode from @The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @TempletonFoundation.
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Philosopher Meghan Sullivan is asking us to rethink how we give to others. Instead of relying solely on logic and efficiency, she argues for a love ethic rooted in emotional connection, moral character, and deep respect for human dignity.
Giving, she says, shouldn't be reduced to numbers and outcomes but should reflect genuine care for both present and future people. Even those we haven’t met (especially including future generations) deserve to be seen as individuals with value and potential. In a world that often prizes calculation, Sullivan reminds us that love might be the most ethical response of all.
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About Meghan Sullivan:
Meghan Sullivan is the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where she leads the Ethics Initiative and founded the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. With support from the John Templeton Foundation, the Institute advances research and teaching on human flourishing. Sullivan’s work spans ethics, metaphysics, and religion. She’s the author of Time Biases and co-author of The Good Life Method, based on her acclaimed course “God and the Good Life.”
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