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This book is an existential study of romantic loving. It draws on five existential philosophers to offer insights into what is wrong with our everyday ideas about romantic loving, why reality often falls short of the ideal, sources of frustrations and disappointments, and possibilities for creating authentically meaningful relationships.

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1. Introduction 2. Max Stirner and Loving Egoistically 3. S›ren Kierkegaard and Loving Aesthetically 4. Friedrich Nietzsche and Loving Powerfully 5. Jean-Paul Sartre and Loving Sado-Masochistically 6. Simone de Beauvoir and Loving Authentically 7. Conclusion

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"Cleary´s book is a wonderful introduction to some key philosophical thinkers. Even if readers are searching for minor exposures to existentialism, Cleary ties together a lot of their larger ideas under the umbrella of romance. ... The book is a step in unhinging love from its banality and its honest and accessible approach should be an interest philosophers of relationships and love." (Christopher Sanacore, Blue Labyrinths, August, 2016)

"The books starts with a general introduction and ends with a general conclusion. ... contain a lot of stimulating food to thought about love seen as an inextricable part or content of existence and about romantic loving as such. ... makes a fructuous effort in extracting the relevant stuff from the five authors to treat loving and romantic loving in the context of anxiety of existence, choice, freedom and authenticity. ... This makes the book valuable and worthy of reading." (Robert Zaborowski, Metapsychology, Vol. 20 (4), January, 2016)

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Skye C. Cleary teaches philosophy and business at Columbia University, the City College of New York, and Barnard College, USA. She is an advisory board member of Strategy of Mind, the Managing Editor of the American Philosophical Association´s blog, and has written for Aeon, TED-Ed, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Huffington Post, The Conversation, Business Insider, New Republic, The Philosophers´ Magazine, The Philosopher´s Zone on ABC Radio National, YourTango, and others.

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