Love and Solidarity

Abstract

The word’ solidarity’ came into being in France in the period immediately preceding the revolution of 1789 and was then adopted by other European languages, where it now has roughly the same meaning. The definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary and Ordbog over det danske Sprog (its Danish counterpart) are approximately the same: solidarity means feeling a sense of togetherness with others, a unity of interests; or, of standing together, sticking together through thick and thin, fighting together for an idea, an interest, for mutual help. I am excluding the legal meaning of joint and several liability.