Agape and Personhood

Description:Goicoechea shows how the three traits of personhood--that all persons are equal in dignity, that each is unique, and that all persons are interpersonal--is rooted in that love which is agape. This love between the three persons of the One God is examined existentially as mother lived it out in her love and personal growth. It is examined philosophically with Kierkegaard as he explains the logic of reconciling love, which can happen when I love the other, even my enemy, as more important than myself. The logic of reconciling love is then examined in Paul's seven authentic letters. The history of how humans became seen as persons and how this idea developed in the West is then examined through nine moments of history.Endorsements:As a mother, poet, and psychologist, now a 'Baboushka' figure, I have found Dr. Goiccochea's philosophical presentations of personhood very congruent with my personal and professional experience. I would recommend his work to anyone seeking catalytic writing to further their personal psychological development and deepen their social understanding and action. His words are best read as meditations on attitudes which are foundational in human experience. -Elizabeth Richardson-Whealyauthor of Pilot's Log: A WWI MemoirJust as Kierkegaard considered himself to be the Socrates of Christianity, so David Goicoechea can be considered the Kierkegaard of Postmodernity. With his love for paradox, his questing nature, and his emphasis on understanding love it all its manifestations, Goicoechea here gives us a powerful exploration of the meaning of 'personhood' in a fractured world.-Tim MadiganSt. John Fisher CollegeIn Agape and Personhood, David Goicoechea guides his readers on a rewarding journey through the Uncanny; a place familiar yet alien, a landscape vivid yet subdued. Along the way we encounter our fragility and strength as we strive to be genuinely human. This book is a remarkable account of how we are reconciled to ourselves and to each other.-Philippa CarterMcMaster UniversityAbout the Contributor(s):David L. Goicoechea is professor emeritus of philosophy at Brock University. He has published widely in the areas of philosophy of love, existentialism, philosophy of religion, postmodernism, and the history of philosophy.