Love and Friendship: Rethinking Politics and Affection in Modern Times

Love and Friendship gathers the reflections of some of today's most preeminent political scientists, philosophers, historians, and students of literature and religion in an investigation of the most influential accounts of love and friendship in Western history. The collection begins with a discussion of classical philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, moves through a wide array of modern philosophers--among them Montaigne, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau--and concludes with contemporary, postmodern accounts of love and friendship. Taken together, the essays provide an unprecedented exploration of the most compelling and sovereign human affections and associations. Eduardo Velásquez's marvelous, ambitious project succeeds, as each thoughtful and engaging piece proves the depth of the intimate relationship between psychology and political life.