Full Idea
Love, or at least affection, not justice, is the first virtue of the family. Should mutual affection also be the first virtue of social and political institutions?
Gist of Idea
Should love be the first virtue of a society, as it is of the family?
Source
Jonathan Wolff (An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Rev) [2006], 6 'Transcending')
Book Reference
Wolff,Jonathan: 'An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Rev)' [OUP 2006], p.196
A Reaction
Surely this ideal should be at the heart of any society, no matter how far away from the ideal it is pushed by events and failures of character? I take 'respect' to be the form of love we feel for strangers.