Compassion and Commanded Love

Abstract

Addressing the familiar Kantian objection that emotions cannot be meaningfully commanded because they are not under ones direct voluntary control, I draw on recent work by Roberts and Blum and analyze compassion as a kind of concern- based construal of a neighbor in distress-- a construal subject (to some extent) to one's will and therefore a possible object of an imperative. I then point out how, on this analysis, "agapeic" compassion differs somewhat from other compassion by the Christian's use of "faith- based" concepts and beliefs in her construals of neighbors in need. (edited)