A collection of pithy saying and real-life observations to inspire and motivate every leader, both realized and potential, with or without a title.

9.11.2008

Common Objects of Love

Greetings Class!

Please note the "Leadership Clips" box in the right margin. Check out a couple of these blog posts and submit at least one substantive comment on the blog below. I plan on having additional people with leadership experience posting on here as well for your benefit, so you'll be checking this blog regularly for assignments, instruction and general inspiration!

See Lesson #2 below:

The book Common Objects of Love by Oliver O'Donovan assumes the Augustinian view of society as posited in City of God book 19. Augustine makes the case that "A people, we may say, is a gathered multitude of rational beings united by agreeing to share the things they love."

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So Augustine famously challenged the classical definition of a republic articulated by Cicero, replacing an idealist understanding of organized social life with a realist one, which would allow for radical criticism without dissolving the political phenomenon altogether."

You can hear Dr. O'Donovan discussing this information in a lecture at Calvin College.

Read pp. 25-32 of this book here and answer the following questions:

  1. What is the ground on which we act as individuals and communities?
  2. What determines and defines the structures of society?
  3. To what is this love directed?
  4. Define "community"
  5. What is the center of all human communication?
  6. How does a community attain coherence?
  7. How is human communication different from animal communication?
  8. How are communities formed?
  9. What does any of this have to do with leadership?

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