Fraternity (philosophy)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In philosophy, fraternity or brotherhood is a kind of ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity.
Fraternity is mentioned in the national motto of France, Liberté, égalité, fraternité (lit. 'Liberty, equality, fraternity'),[1] and a slogan of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, "Brotherhood and unity".
A strong bond of solidarity is symbolically represented—particularly in pre-Islamic and Islamic culture (muʾākhāt) and in some areas of equatorial Africa—by a ritual that enacts a sort of biological fraternity: two individuals, through self-inflicted wounds, mix their blood, thereby establishing a fictitious kinship.
In the Middle Ages, the practice of brotherhood-in-arms was common among knights who swore mutual loyalty and support to each other.
Universal Brotherhood
Universal brotherhood, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, appeals to the shared human condition that unites all people in the same fate of life and death. From this arises a sense of fraternity that should be expressed through solidarity toward peoples in particular distress due to disease, famine, lack of water, or malnutrition.
Inspired by this principle of universal brotherhood and supported by international public funding, specific organizations — such as UNESCO, FAO, UNICEF, WHO, ILO and UNHCR — have been created by the United Nations to address global needs.
