The Rule of Love

Where justice, with its emphasis on individual claim-rights, falls short of justifying our ethical responsibility to care for those suffering from illnesses that do not neatly qualify as unjust, love (agape) provides the missing moral foundation. This book contributes to the literature of ethics and global affairs, drawing on a dialogue among diverse intellectual traditions--from Thomas Aquinas and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Emmanuel Lévinas, Iris Murdoch, and bell hooks. The result is a rich conceptual account of love, presented in Part I, which establishes agape not merely as an emotion, but as a virtue and process of practical reasoning. Building on this foundation, Part II offers a normative examination of how agapic love--working in tandem with, rather than in opposition to, justice--can reform global health governance. The Rule of Love discusses reallocating the shared responsibilities of care for those suffering from illnesses that cross political borders. Although love and global affairs have traditionally been viewed as separate domains, this work argues that integrating agape into personal relationships and institutional policies can reshape the dynamics of global affairs and redefine the design of global health institutions. Ultimately, The Rule of Love seeks to reclaim the moral force of love by demonstrating that agape provides a stronger moral justification for care than justice alone. It challenges readers to expand their understanding of love beyond mere sentiment, revealing it as a deeply reasoned commitment that grounds our collective duty to care for those suffering. In doing so, it leaves the reader empowered with a fresh perspective on both the moral and practical dimensions of love--a perspective with the potential to redefine leadership and reform global health governance for a more humane future.