Love: A Sketch

"I challenge you to find a less sentimental or romantic account of love than this witty and insightful essay by the controversial social systems theorist. It follows the evolution of the concept of love from its Greek roots through to its function as a way of giving meaning to individual experiences and of explaining and justifying the weirdest of behaviours in modern society."
Michael King for Times Higher Education

"The textual basis of an early seminar Luhmann held at Bielefeld, this book is essential reading for social and cultural scientists, theorists, and historians concerned about the semantics of love as an institutionalized medium of communication entrusted with regulating intimate relations in modern society."
Stephan Fuchs, University of Virginia