André Grahe, Natasha McKeever, and Joe Saunders (Eds). Philosophy of Love in the Past, Present, and Future. New York: Routledge, 2022, 268 pp.

This volume presents a collection of original essays on the philosophy of love, organized thematically around its past, present, and future.Part I delves into what the history of philosophical thought can teach us about love, exploring the works of Ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, as well as Kierkegaard's critique of preferential love and Erich Fromm's mystical interpretation of sexual relationships.Part II focuses on contemporary understandings and practices of love.The essays in this section examine how love evolves over time, the process of falling in love, the erotic aspects of romantic relationships, and a fresh interpretation of grandparental love.Part III looks to the future, addressing how technological advancements such as algorithm-based dating apps and robotic companions might shape the way we experience love.It also explores the potential of polyamory as a future model of romantic relationships.Ginger Tate Clausen opens the book by examining Plato's views on love as presented in the Symposium.She defends a Platonic conception of love, focusing on the idea that love involves opening oneself to transformation through another person's beauty, which evokes a sense of eternity and permanence.Clausen draws an intriguing parallel to Paul Thomas Anderson's film Phantom Thread to illustrate how this kind of love operates.In the second chapter, Anna Mense shifts the focus to Aristotle, addressing the current crisis in romantic love.She argues that Aristotle's concept of philia -or friendship -can provide a solution.Mense proposes that romantic love is a form of philia, suggesting that this perspective can offer a more relaxed and sustainable understanding of romantic relationships, free from some of the unrealistic expectations often associated with romance.Terence Irwin then explores the biblical command to "love your neighbor as yourself," debating whether this is a single command or two distinct ones: to love both yourself and your neighbor in a similar way.Irwin provides an in-depth analysis of self-love as discussed by thinkers such as Aristotle, Aquinas, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and St. Paul.He argues that Jesus' commandment is best interpreted as two interconnected but separate directives.