Table of Contents

Editorial Note vi

Love as Passion 1

Notes 72

Index 92

About the Author

Niklas Luhmann wasProfessor of Sociology at the University of Bielfeld

Reviews

"I challenge you to find a less sentimental or romantic account oflove than this witty and insightful essay by the controversialsocial systems theorist. It follows the evolution of the concept oflove from its Greek roots through to its function as a way ofgiving meaning to individual experiences and of explaining andjustifying the weirdest of behaviours in modern society." Michael King for Times Higher Education "The textual basis of an early seminar Luhmann held atBielefeld, this book is essential reading for social and culturalscientists, theorists, and historians concerned about the semanticsof love as an institutionalized medium of communication entrustedwith regulating intimate relations in modern society." Stephan Fuchs, University of Virginia