Robert C. Solomon On Love and the Passions

November 4, 2011 3:32 AM

I'm interested in exploring Robert C. Solomon's work on our human passions, love, etc., which was one major focus of his work. Since he was such a prolific author, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices available. Does anyone have works they recommend in particular? Thanks.
posted by Judd Danby to religion & philosophy (3 answers total)

Other than his existentialism readers (which don't have much of his own writing), I've only read "About Love" -- but I really liked it. It was cool to see him turn up later in Waking Life.
posted by pete_22 at 4:16 AM on November 4, 2011

I wrote a review of his last book, True to Our Feelings, which was published online here. That book summarizes his views on emotions, and provides a big picture of his understanding of the value of life. A good collection of his articles is in his book Not Passion's Slave (the article 'against valence' is particularly noteworthy as a counter to reductive psychological models). If you are also interested in his views on love, there is one chapter in his last book, but also several in his book In Defense of Sentimentality (link to review).
posted by leibniz at 7:39 AM on November 4, 2011

The most lively is his first one, "The Passions." That's the one other people are most likely to have heard of, as well. A short version that's less polemical is his article in American Philosophical Quarterly, "On Emotions as Judgments".

You might also be interested in his collection Thinking About Feeling, and also, for similar views but perhaps better writing, Martha Nussbaum's book, Upheavals of Thought. The first part gives a view of emotions much like Solomon's, and then there are long and quite good chapters about love.
posted by Beardman at 10:22 AM on November 4, 2011