Event Detail

In November 1962, James Baldwin’s essay “A Letter from a Region in My Mind” appeared in The New Yorker. The essay is about race relations. But more importantly, it’s a philosophical treatise on love. It became an instant sensation, made Baldwin an international celebrity, and would become part of his 1963 bestseller, The Fire Next Time. But political theorist Hannah Arendt wasn’t all that impressed. In a letter, she admitted that parts of the essay frightened her. She believed that love—as summoned by Baldwin—has no place in public life. Arendt is not the only thinker who has worried about love in public life. Over the last few decades, philosophers, theologians, and political theorists have expressed similar concerns. The idea that love can go public has been criticized for being impractical, impossible, and dangerous. In this talk, I argue that their criticisms are mistaken due to their affective conception of love. By offering an action-oriented account of love and using the life of James Baldwin as an example, I will demonstrate how we can take love public in practical and productive ways rather than abstract and destructive ones.