Explorations in Love

Love is one of the central theological concepts, and yet theological discourse about it seems to have fallen surprisingly silent. Therefore, Michael Coors, professor for social ethics at the University of Zürich, and I organized a first workshop with researchers from English and German speaking countries. The resulting international research network „ExiL – Explorations in Love” asks which role love plays in the fields of dogmatics and (applied) ethics, how it is conceptualized, what changes have taken place, and which potentials and problems theological discourse on love brings with it. In our following meetings we focus on three key questions:
1. How does the notion of love function in the field of dogmatics and (applied) ethics?
2. To what extent is the notion of love shaped by Christianity, i. e., aspects of Christian doctrine or practice? Or, put differently: To what extent does the use of the notion reflect a specific Christian approach?
3. Are there criteria by which love can be judged? (For example, what are toxic forms of love?)