Existentialism and Romantic Love

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Skye Cleary

   Pages 1-20

3. Max Stirner and Loving Egoistically

   • Skye Cleary

   Pages 21-44

4. Søren Kierkegaard and Loving Aesthetically

   • Skye Cleary

   Pages 45-70

5. Friedrich Nietzsche and Loving Powerfully

   • Skye Cleary

   Pages 71-98

6. Jean-Paul Sartre and Loving Sadomasochistically

   • Skye Cleary

   Pages 99-124

7. Simone de Beauvoir and Loving Authentically

   • Skye Cleary

   Pages 125-159

8. Conclusion

   • Skye Cleary

   Pages 160-177

9. Back Matter

   Pages 178-208

   PDF

This book is an existential study of romantic loving. It draws on five existential philosophers to offer insights into what is wrong with our everyday ideas about romantic loving, why reality often falls short of the ideal, sources of frustrations and disappointments, and possibilities for creating authentically meaningful relationships.

• Romantic love
• loving
• existentialism
• existential philosophy
• Max Stirner
• Søren Kierkegaard
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Simone de Beauvoir
• choice
• responsibility
• anxiety
• authenticity
• freedom
• power
• friendship
• marriage
• Kierkegaard
• Nietzsche-Forschung
• philosophy
• Sören Kierkegaard

“Cleary’s book is a wonderful introduction to some key philosophical thinkers. Even if readers are searching for minor exposures to existentialism, Cleary ties together a lot of their larger ideas under the umbrella of romance. … The book is a step in unhinging love from its banality and its honest and accessible approach should be an interest philosophers of relationships and love.” (Christopher Sanacore, Blue Labyrinths, August, 2016)

“The books starts with a general introduction and ends with a general conclusion. … contain a lot of stimulating food to thought about love seen as an inextricable part or content of existence and about romantic loving as such. … makes a fructuous effort in extracting the relevant stuff from the five authors to treat loving and romantic loving in the context of anxiety of existence, choice, freedom and authenticity. … This makes the book valuable and worthy of reading.” (Robert Zaborowski, Metapsychology, Vol. 20 (4), January, 2016)

• Columbia University, New York, USA

  Skye Cleary

Skye C. Cleary teaches philosophy and business at Columbia University, the City College of New York, and Barnard College, USA. She is an advisory board member of Strategy of Mind, the Managing Editor of the American Philosophical Association’s blog, and has written for Aeon, TED-Ed, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Huffington Post, The Conversation, Business Insider, New Republic, The Philosophers’ Magazine, The Philosopher’s Zone on ABC Radio National, YourTango, and others.   

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