Editorial March 23, 1981 Issue

Intellect shaped by Love

NATHAN A. TALBOT

People often think of intellect as the capacity to reason or learn. So seen, intellect may contrast with sensitiveness or warmth. View human intelligence only from the standpoint of assimilating knowledge, and you may wield an impressive array of data but be barren of responsiveness or feeling. J. B. Phillips translates Paul's warning: "If I speak with the eloquence of men and of angels, but have no love, I become no more than blaring brass or crashing cymbal. If I have the gift of foretelling the future and hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but the very secrets of God, ... but have no love, I amount to nothing at all."^{I Cor. 13:1, 2.}

It's not enough to have a lot of knowledge if we don't also have love for our fellowman, and for life itself. Following Paul's guidance in this light can certainly bring a better balance to life. But his words can carry deeper insight. Do we really need to keep the capacities to feel and to understand in separate departments?

When we begin to recognize how our ability to know is properly shaped by divine Love, then our intellect will express a much more divine, even healing tone. Mary Baker Eddy makes insightful use of two synonyms for God when she explains, "Love alone can impart the limitless idea of infinite Mind."^{Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 510.}