Analyzing Love

by Robert Brown

Analyzing Love is concerned with four basic and neglected problems concerning love. The first is identifying its relevant features: distinguishing it from liking and benevolence and from sexual desire; describing the objects that can be loved and the judgments and aims required by love. The second question is how we recognize the presence of love and what grounds we may have for thinking it present in any particular case. The third is that of relating it to other emotions such as anger and fear, and, more generally, deciding where love stands in the contrast between emotions and attitudes. Finally, the book examines how we justify our loves: can we have, and do we need, reasons for loving? What types of judgment are appropriate to love? Can we criticize a lover for his or her choices?

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 1987

Reviews

[Interrospire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent overview of some basic claims in a relatively basic format. I was hoping for a more specific assessment of the ways in which people, especially young ones, shape, moderate and judge their desires for sexual or romantic love, how it can be affected and is otherwise socially constructed in relation to the subject (similar to how Butler examined gender); unfortunately, I'm going to have to look for a different source or a different question.

Regardless, if you do not mind some philosophical meandering and pedantic repetition, this book has some good tidbits and helps formulate logically and explicitly certain terms we use in our daily lives (or at least the terms others use in their daily lives, you know, people with actual romance going on ;-;).