“I see loyalty - roughly perseverance in relational commitments despite the cost of such perseverance - as an important human value/virtue. Think of it as a kind of relational glue.” ThinkingKindImportantValuesVirtueCommitmentPerseveranceLoyaltyHuman Values Author:John Kleinig
“It is odd that a value/virtue that plays such a central role in dramatic literature has played such a small role in philosophical writing. There are probably a number of reasons, but I think that a predilection for a certain kind of individualism is a major one. Others might include the fashionability of consequentialism, the idea that loyalty has more to do with sentiment than reason, as well as its proneness to corruption. The revival of interest in virtue/character as distinct from rules/principles has also created space for a renewed, if hesitant, interest in loyalty.” ThinkingWritingKindReasonCharacterValuesLiteratureInterestVirtuePhilosophicalCorruptionLoyaltyOddDramaticSentimentsIndividualismRevival Author:John Kleinig
“I grew up in a home in which loyalty to family was central to my father's outlook. Adolescent changes to my outlook (which set me against parental values) made me very critical of loyalty, reinforced by certain religious writers I found influential at that time. Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind. But I remained conflicted about loyalty.” MindHomeChristianValuesReligiousLoyaltyInfluentialParental Author:John Kleinig
“There will always be situations in which conflicts arise between individual and communal values - Catholic police officers deployed to enable women to enter abortion clinics without harassment and doctors who oppose performing abortions. No social role is free of such potential conflicts.” ValuesIndividualSituationConflictPoliceCatholicPerformingAbortionDoctor WhoPolice OfficerHarassment Author:John Kleinig
“The roles evolve over time: juries once made determinations about law; nowadays, they are supposedly limited to making factual determinations. A good move? All along, however, we will, be employing and refining "established" values in new contexts, with the possibility of restructuring them in some way.” MovingValuesPossibilityDeterminationEvolveJuryFactual Author:John Kleinig