The Pursuit of Love: The Meaning in Life

In his widely acclaimed trilogy, The Nature of Love, Irving Singer traced the development of the concept of love in history and literature from the Greeks to the twentieth century. Now, in a sequel to his previous work, Singer offers a different approach. A "systematic mapping" of the various facets of love, the present volume is an extended essay that offers a philosophical and psychiatric theory of his own. From sexual love to religious love, from love of parents and children to love of friends and peers, from love of self to love of other creatures, nature, or God, The Pursuit of Love is wide-ranging and authoritative. Singer explores the distinction between wanting to love and wanting to be loved. He examines love as merging and love as acceptance of another's uniqueness and autonomy. And he discusses attempts by various thinkers to differentiate between phenomena such as passion and reason, love and civilization, and animal and human love. In mapping and exploring this diversity of concepts, Singer explains, his role throughout remains that of a humanistic philosopher rather than counselor or problem-solver. Rich in insight into literature, the history of ideas, and the complexities of our being, The Pursuit of Love is a thought-provoking inquiry into fundamental aspects of all human relationships.