An insightful and informative exploration of how sex and love have been perceived throughout history. Written by one of the most respected authors in the field, this volume offers readers an informative and engaging examination of the nature, ethics, and philosophy of love and sex. "The Philosophy of Love and Sex" looks at all aspects of how love and sex have been perceived throughout history, with a focus on how 20th-century thinkers in various intellectual traditions have looked upon them. Topics addressed include: the nature of sexual pleasure, desire, and activity; sexual ethics and their plausibility; the moral and social issues of pornography, prostitution, and adultery; and, the significance of love in sex.

The background -- Projects; the significance of sex and love; secret pictures; sexual pluralism -- A history of the philosophy of sex and love -- The ancients; medieval philosophy; modern philosophy; the twentieth century; contemporary philosophy -- Sex -- Sexual concepts -- Analytic questions; sexual activity; sexual desire; social constructionism; polysemicity (polysemy); sexual sensations -- Sexual perversion -- St. Thomas Aquinas; problems with natural law; psychological perversion; psychiatry and perversion; a conceptual framework -- Sexual ethics -- Contraception; beyond natural law; Immanuel Kant; contemporary Kantian philosophy; utilitarianism; sadomasochism; love -- Sexual politics -- Consent, again; pedophilia; prostitution and marriage; marital rape; compulsory heterosexuality; pornography -- Love -- Varieties of love -- What is love?; love and value; eros and agape; evaluating and assessing love; the fine gold thread; concern and benevolence; union -- Features of love -- Tangles in theories of love; exclusivity; uniqueness; irreplaceability; constancy; reciprocity -- Sex, love, and marriage -- Pauline marriage; the links; sex and love; the death of desire; saving marriage; reasons for monogamy; reasons for marriage -- Gender -- Women and men; gender and sex surveys; heterosexual failure; gendered sexuality; gendered love.