Love is a way of being.
The Love Ethic
Everyone is worthy of love, because every human has dignity. Love is the foundation of our moral and social lives. We are called to love everyone—our neighbors, strangers and even our enemies. Solving our deepest social problems requires harnessing our limitless capacity for love.
Housed at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good.
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It’s a bit of a rebel move, but we think this humanity thing is still worth the effort. Come hang out and help us remember how to be people without all the sharp edges.
See what we’re up to at the Institute:
Faculty and academics
To anchor the Love Ethic, we bring together philosophers, theologians, and social scientists for deep, rigorous research. But these ideas belong to all of us. We invite all people of hope to step beyond the divide, learn alongside us, and reweave our world together.
Love in Action
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Read time:5–8 minutesAre we addicted to othering, exclusion, and revenge?
While our legal systems are built on retribution, neurobiology suggests our brains are wired for…
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Watch time:9 minutesWould you take a love “pill”?
Featured on the TEDNext stage, Meghan Sullivan explores why the love of stranger is the…
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Read time:6–9 minutesBeyond the Roadside
Could countercultural solidarity with the poor have the power to change reality? It takes an…
Observations From the Edge of Indifference
The Love Ethic isn’t just a belief system; it is a way of being. This field journal is where we document the manifestation of that belief—where we refuse to follow the easy path of indifference. In a world that tells us to look away, to be cynical, and to prioritize ourselves, we are practicing a great refusal of those norms. The Observations are the evidence that when we refuse to be indifferent, we find a world of inherent dignity.
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Introduction: Yep, Everybody
There is a local law professor who wanted to know the greatest and…
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Entry 01: The Cost of Attention
French philosopher Simone Weil says that “attention is the rarest and purest form…
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Entry 02: The New Power Tools
Are we distracted, or are we avoiding the cost of being present? Love…
Unscripted: Notes for the Road
A table, a set of questions, and no script. Just you. (Don’t worry, we hid the bright interrogation lights). The chair is yours and we’re listening, because your insights matter.
Here, we witness the Love Ethic not as a theory, but as a lived practice. This series brings people together to share honest insights and glimpses into where love has shown up in their lives. It’s a living record of what happens when we stop talking about a better world and start practicing it together.
