The moral law requires us to place the interests of others on equal footing with our own. It means seeking the highest good of others as we seek our own highest good. This is impartial benevolence, or goodwill.
Many traditions express this as “love your neighbor as yourself.” But in English, the word love can mislead. Love is often taken as a feeling, and feelings cannot be commanded. One cannot be told to feel warmly toward an enemy.
What is required is not a feeling, but a way of acting grounded in a right motive. Benevolence is an act of the will, not an emotion. Feelings may follow, but they are not the foundation.
Another term for this is altruism: unselfish concern for others that does not place one’s own interests above theirs. It is the opposite of selfishness. It does not put self first, but treats others as equals, each with the same claim to be treated justly and decently.
