Philosophy of Love and Sex

Love has the power to make us feel extraordinarily happy and utterly devastated. Why? What is love and why does it have this power over us? This course will explore these questions from the perspective of philosophy, which is itself a form of love, specifically, the love of wisdom. Course topics include the following: Can we define love and is there more than one type? Is love a feeling that we "fall into" or a rational choice we make for good or bad reasons? What are the sources of various beliefs about love: religion, myth, cultural tradition, science, personal experience, reasoned consideration? Must sex be related to love? Is sexual desire "natural"? What are the principles of sexual morality?