This book is an introduction to three questions on love according to St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae I?II, qq. 26?28). These three questions reflect on the nature of love (q. 26), the causes of love (q. 27), and the effects of love (q. 28). It is thus an introduction to the entire phenomenon of love, both as a bodily passion and an act of the will. The purpose is to present the Thomistic and broadly scholastic account of human and divine love from a philosophical and theological perspective. It aims to be a theological and philosophical study of the topic, useful both for a graduate/professional audience, as part of an undergraduate or graduate course, and perhaps for the educated reader. The thesis of the book is that, contrary to contemporary conceptions, not all loves are created equal. Some loves perfect us and some loves corrupt us. The worth of a love depends on its object and end. St. Thomas thus presents an objective and teleological account of human and divine love that is of philosophical and theological interest. The method is broadly exegetical, presenting a careful reading of the text and supplying the philosophical and theological background which the text of Aquinas assumes. The scope of the work is limited to three questions (ST I?II, qq. 26?28). References to interpretative disputes of Aquinas and references to further resources in the secondary literature will be mostly limited to the footnotes, making the body of the text accessible to more readers.

This volume is in a series which explores the most current research in the Area Of Environmental Stressors And The Emotional Reaction They Envoke. Divided into four parts it considers stress in the workplace, in daily life, in schools as well as stress and disease.

A Summer of Passion, Love, Pain, and Happiness offers a vivid account of the trials and tribulations that three successful single women endure in their quest for their soul mate. Experience a summer in the lives of these women as they embark upon their journey in search of true love. Jasmine Whitfield is a chemist at a local pharmaceutical company. She has yet to find that special man to start a family with as well as one who is worthy of all she has to offer. After years of dating, she discovers that her suitors are intimidated by her financial independence because she is able to provide herself with all of the luxuries that money can buy. Will she find a real man who can handle her success? Lela Johnston has had a hard life growing up without her father. She overcame that obstacle to become one the most successful beauticians in Huntsville. In addition to running her own salon, she does her best to nurture her on-again-off-again relationship with her boyfriend Mark Harrington. The black cloud that has tainted their relationship is his ex-wife, Valerie. She has been dead set on ruining Lela’s life since day one. She has a defined role in Mark’s life because they have two daughters together. Now that Mark is back in Lela’s life for good, how will his ex-wife handle living without him? Monica Van Adams is a single mother who was madly in love with her high school sweetheart and child’s father, José Alvarez. He left Monica to raise their son alone when he ran off to be with another woman. Monica’s naïve demeanor quickly becomes one of wisdom as she learns more and more about the opposite sex. She runs into a man from her past, experiences a whirlwind courtship, and then lets him get away. Will he ever return? Join the ladies as a night on the town brings them closer together to help one another deal with the hardships of life, love, and accepting Mr. Right Now. Will they ever find the man of their dreams in only a few months’ time? Can they go through each phase of the rigorous process of a relationship and still maintain their dignity? Discover every aspect of Jasmine, Lela, and Monica as they experience a summer of passion, love, pain, and happiness.

In this important book Niklas Luhmann - one of the leading social thinkers of the late 20th century - analyses the emergence of ‘love' as the basis of personal relationships in modern societies. He argues that, while family systems remained intact in the transition from traditional to modern societies, a semantics for love developed to accommodate extra-marital relationships; this semantics was then transferred back into marriage and eventually transformed marriage itself. Drawing on a diverse range of historical and literary sources, Luhmann retraces the emergence and evolution of the special semantics of passionate love that has come to form the basis of modern forms of intimacy and personal relationships. This classic book by Luhmann has been widely recognized as a work of major importance. It is an outstanding contribution to social theory and it provides an original and illuminating perspective on the nature of modern marriage and sexuality.

Enjoy this passionate love at first sight romance by International Bestselling regency author Laura A. Barnes ... Love at first sight can sweep you away into a … She lost her heart to him the first time they met. He kept falling harder for her whenever their paths crossed. After her uncle secures her engagement to another gentleman, can they find their way back to one another? Gemma Holbrooke had waited anxiously to enjoy a Season in London and to fall magically in love. When her uncle granted her wish, she dreamed of the beautiful gowns she would wear, the dances around the ballroom floors, and of all the handsome gentlemen who would court her. Before they traveled to London, her uncle hosted a house party, and one guest in particular changed her every aspiration. A handsome lord who avoided her at all costs. His bold stare tempted Gemma to discover the depth of their burning attraction. When her uncle forbade any contact with her true love, Gemma defied the strictures of society. At every opportunity she risked her reputation to be held in in his arms, but too many obstacles stood in their way of happiness. Can Gemma outwit her uncle to secure the groom of her choice? Barrett Ralston scoffed whenever he heard anyone mention they fell in love at first sight. Such an act never existed. That was until he caught sight of Gemma Holbrooke. A siren disguised as an innocent debutante who lured him closer with every smile. Then everything he ever believed in changed in the blink of a kiss that knocked him to his knees. When her uncle issued a demand to stay clear from his niece, Barrett decided to tempt the beauty into a scandalous affair. At every secret rendezvous, their soft kisses and gentle caresses heated into a passion out of their control. But when Barrett’s secret assignment to recover a stolen coin crossed over into their love affair, it broke their fragile connection. Can Barrett stop the threat from destroying Gemma’s love for him? Soul mates meeting for the first time. A temptation that cannot be denied. A love like no other. Will Gemma and Barrett allow others to control their destiny? Or will they defy all the odds against them? How the Rake Tempted the Lady is the third book in the Matchmaking Madness Series. For fans of Mariah Stone, Bree Wolf, or Anna Bradley, this is a love at first sight romance filled with passionate scenes. A stand-alone story story full of temptation. Treat yourself to How the Rake Tempted the Lady today!

Monsieur Dumont, a very rich and influential member of the French aristocracy is marrying off his final and youngest daughter to another member of the aristocracy. He employs the talents of pianist Jacque Bonnet, a poor black farm hand who happens to be one of France's best kept secrets to compose and perform an one-act sonata at the couple's engagement announcement party.One night as Jacque works tirelessly on his commissioned piece he is visited by the apparition of a beautiful woman. Is this woman just a ghastly manifestation of Jacque's desires or is she something more? Only the sonata's completion will tell in this fantasy filled gothic playwriting debut of author and filmmaker Brendan Whitt.

Finalist for the 2016 National Translation Award given by the American Literary Translators' Association The life, birth, and early years of 'the Fariyaq'—the alter ego of the Arab intellectual Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq Leg over Leg recounts the life, from birth to middle age, of ‘the Fariyaq,’ alter ego of Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq, a pivotal figure in the intellectual and literary history of the modern Arab world. The always edifying and often hilarious adventures of the Fariyaq, as he moves from his native Lebanon to Egypt, Malta, Tunis, England and France, provide the author with grist for wide-ranging discussions of the intellectual and social issues of his time, including the ignorance and corruption of the Lebanese religious and secular establishments, freedom of conscience, women’s rights, sexual relationships between men and women, the manners and customs of Europeans and Middle Easterners, and the differences between contemporary European and Arabic literatures. Al-Shidyaq also celebrates the genius and beauty of the classical Arabic language. Akin to Sterne and Rabelais in his satirical outlook and technical inventiveness, al-Shidyaq produced in Leg Over Leg a work that is unique and unclassifiable. It was initially widely condemned for its attacks on authority, its religious skepticism, and its “obscenity,” and later editions were often abridged. This is the first English translation of the work and reproduces the original Arabic text, published under the author’s supervision in 1855.

The two theories of divine love that are examined in this book have their foundations in Greek, Jewish, Christian and Muslim ideas. Al-Ghazâlî (twelfth century) was influenced mainly by Plato and Ibn Sina's teachings, while al-Dabbâgh (thirteenth century), who accepted some Ghazâlîan notions, developed a theory of divine love that can be traced back to Neoplatonism. Both scholars created complete theories of divine love that include definitions of love, its causes and signs, the ways to love God, God's love for man, and kinds of love. The book will interest students of theology, philosophy and mysticism in general, and students of Islam in particular.

The Unforgettable Love of Black Passion is a must-read for anyone who has ever been in love and lost — but then reigned victorious in the end.