The Reasons of Love

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book The Reasons of Love by Harry G. Frankfurt, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Harry G. Frankfurt ISBN: 9781400826063
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: January 13, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Harry G. Frankfurt
ISBN: 9781400826063
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: January 13, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

This beautifully written book by one of the world's leading moral philosophers argues that the key to a fulfilled life is to pursue wholeheartedly what one cares about, that love is the most authoritative form of caring, and that the purest form of love is, in a complicated way, self-love.

Harry Frankfurt writes that it is through caring that we infuse the world with meaning. Caring provides us with stable ambitions and concerns; it shapes the framework of aims and interests within which we lead our lives. The most basic and essential question for a person to raise about the conduct of his or her life is not what he or she should care about but what, in fact, he or she cannot help caring about.

The most important form of caring, Frankfurt writes, is love, a nonvoluntary, disinterested concern for the flourishing of what is loved. Love is so important because meaningful practical reasoning must be grounded in ends that we do not seek only to attain other ends, and because it is in loving that we become bound to final ends desired for their own sakes.

Frankfurt argues that the purest form of love is self-love. This sounds perverse, but self-love--as distinct from self-indulgence--is at heart a disinterested concern for whatever it is that the person loves. The most elementary form of self-love is nothing more than the desire of a person to love. Insofar as this is true, self-love is simply a commitment to finding meaning in our lives.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This beautifully written book by one of the world's leading moral philosophers argues that the key to a fulfilled life is to pursue wholeheartedly what one cares about, that love is the most authoritative form of caring, and that the purest form of love is, in a complicated way, self-love.

Harry Frankfurt writes that it is through caring that we infuse the world with meaning. Caring provides us with stable ambitions and concerns; it shapes the framework of aims and interests within which we lead our lives. The most basic and essential question for a person to raise about the conduct of his or her life is not what he or she should care about but what, in fact, he or she cannot help caring about.

The most important form of caring, Frankfurt writes, is love, a nonvoluntary, disinterested concern for the flourishing of what is loved. Love is so important because meaningful practical reasoning must be grounded in ends that we do not seek only to attain other ends, and because it is in loving that we become bound to final ends desired for their own sakes.

Frankfurt argues that the purest form of love is self-love. This sounds perverse, but self-love--as distinct from self-indulgence--is at heart a disinterested concern for whatever it is that the person loves. The most elementary form of self-love is nothing more than the desire of a person to love. Insofar as this is true, self-love is simply a commitment to finding meaning in our lives.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Social Trends in American Life by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Faces of Muhammad by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Stand and Prosper by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Ballots and Bullets by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book The Princeton Companion to Atlantic History by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Inventing the Job of President by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Amazing Arachnids by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Trustworthy Men by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Resolving Ecosystem Complexity (MPB-47) by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book The Econometrics of Individual Risk by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Power and Plenty by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book Defining Neighbors by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book The Case against Education by Harry G. Frankfurt
Cover of the book The Twilight of the Middle Class by Harry G. Frankfurt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy