"The Philosopher of Love" Author: [Germany] Nora Kreft Publisher: Tianjin People's Publishing House

Introduction · · · · · ·
The word love has fascinated us for as long as we can remember, but what does it really mean from a philosophical perspective?

Nora Kreft answered this question in a special way: she brought together eight famous thinkers at a dinner party across time and space to talk about love, friendship and desire. Philosophers such as Socrates, Beauvoir, Freud and Kant talked about each other's views as old friends, shared their respective ideas, debated the pros and cons of dating apps, and discussed whether love limits personal independence.

These discussions and conversations are lighthearted and humorous, and they inspire us in an entertaining way and lead everyone to think. We should seriously think about whether the "love" that comes to us is really beneficial, whether it can bring happiness, and whether it can really be called "love."

★The wisdom of eight philosophers is concentrated, and the cross-era discussion on "what is love"

From Socrates to Beauvoir, eight philosophers who lived in different eras gathered together to explain, debate, and refute with their own thoughts, and jointly explore "what is love". Each of them led a branch topic, such as desire, wisdom, independence, the physiology of love, the irreplaceability of the loved one, love and morality, fairness, etc., trying to figure out all aspects of love together.

★Open your mind, eliminate the "generation gap", and use ancient wisdom to solve modern problems

How can I tell if I really love someone? Can I fall in love with someone I met online? Can I fall in love with a robot? ... Philosophers throw away the constraints of the times and talk about love and wisdom as modern people, narrowing the distance between us and providing guidance and inspiration for our daily emotional life.

★Based on the real life of philosophers and supported by their core ideas, the imaginary plots are also well-documented

The core of the fictional plot is real philosophical thought, and philosophers can finally speak out their own views. Beauvoir speaks for women in a patriarchal society and speaks out about the unfairness of women's emotional lives; Scheler sets up a small blackboard to prove why the person you love is irreplaceable; Socrates insists that "we fall in love with someone because we see eternal ideas in him"... The key plots are interspersed with supplementary explanations of relevant historical facts, works or academic research, which are informative and interesting.

★ There are mutual praises and criticisms, and it is a philosophical book as interesting as a novel

Augustine would "gossip" about the relationship between Socrates and Plato; Socrates and Augustine forced Kierkegaard to register for a dating app... There are no fancy words, and no pretense of being profound. The plain and humorous language style describes each character in a full and vivid way. This may be the first philosophy book that you want to read in one breath.

About the Author
Nora Kreft

German philosopher and scholar, her research topics are love and autonomy. She obtained her doctorate in Erfurt, Germany and Graz, Austria, and worked as a research assistant in philosophical anthropology at Humboldt University of Berlin. She often appears in major media as an expert on the "philosophy of love".