Love and Will
Rollo May's 1969 existential study of love, will and the loss of old values.
At a glance
Key ideas
An age of transition, Five loves, Care …
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- May argues that awareness of death is essential to life rather than opposed to it.
- With older values and myths gone, modern people must find meaning within themselves, which breeds anxiety.
- The central failure, he says, is not understanding how love and will relate.
- He distinguishes five kinds of love and calls care, the opposite of apathy, the source of eros.
Why it matters
- It became a bestseller and May's most popular work.
Key facts
Key ideas
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An age of transition1
Without old myths and symbols, "we cling to each other and try to persuade ourselves that what we feel is love".
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Five loves1
Libido, eros, philia, agape and manic love.
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Care1
"Care is the opposite of apathy" and the source of eros.
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Reconciling love and will1
Healing the split between drives and conscious will deepens intimacy.
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