ABOUT THIS BOOK

What if we could prove that love heals mental illness and is vital to successful therapeutic outcomes in all areas of health care? What if we could prove that people who live more for others than for self have greater psychological well-being?

In Unlimited Love, Post examines the question of what we mean by "unlimited love"; his focus is not on "falling" into love, which is "altogether natural, easy, and delusional." Rather, he focuses on the difficult learned ascent that "begins with insight into the need for tolerance of ubiquitous imperfection, and matures into unselfish concern, gratitude, and compassion." He considers social scientific and evolutionary perspectives on human altruistic motivations, and he analyzes these perspectives in a wide interdisciplinary context at the interface of science, ethics, and religion.

In Unlimited Love, Stephen Post presents an argument for the creation of a new interdisciplinary field for the study of love and unlimited love, "engaging great minds and hoping to shape the human future away from endless acrimony, hatred, and violence."

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Stephen G. Post is professor of preventive medicine, and director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University of the State University of New York. He is recognized internationally for his work on the unselfish compassionate love at the interface of science, ethics, religious thought, and behavioral medicine. In addition, he is a recognized expert on the spiritual and ethical aspects of caring for persons with dementia. Post is the founding president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, Altruism, Compassion, Service, which was founded in 2001 (www.unlimitedloveinstitute.com). The Institute facilitates research, writing, conferences, and courses at the interface of science, spirituality, health, and love for humanity.

Post has published over 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Science, The International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, The Journal of Religion, The American Journal of Psychiatry, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and The Lancet. He has written seven scholarly books on love, and is also the editor of eight other books, most recently including Altruism & Health: Perspectives from Empirical Research, and Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy and Religion in Dialogue, both published by Oxford University Press. He is also editor-in-chief of the definitive, five-volume Encyclopedia of Bioethics. His most recent book, published with Broadway Books, is Why Good Things Happen to Good People: The Exciting New Science That Proves the Link Between Doing Good and Living a Longer, Happier, Healthier Life (with co-author Jill Neimark).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface / vii

Introduction: Progress Through Love / 1

Part I: What Is Unlimited Love? / 9

1. Unlimited Love and Ultimate Reality / 11

2. The Measure of Unlimited Love in the Work of Sorokin / 25

3. The Core Meaning of “Love” / 41

Part II: Scientific, Ethical, and Religious Perspectives / 55

4. Love and the Social Science of Altruistic Motivations / 57

5. The Evolution of Altruistic Love / 75

6. The Parental Axis and the Origins of Love / 89

7. A Theological Interlude on Parental and Unlimited Love / 101

8. A Christian Ethical Perspective on Love’s Extensivity / 117

9. Five Dimensions of Unlimited Love in Practical and Theological Context / 133

Part III: Developing a Scientific Field / 157

10. The Scientific Field of Unlimited Love / 159

11. Funded Research Projects: 2003–2005 / 177

Notes / 203

Index / 223

REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE

If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you with an electronic file for alternative access.

Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.

It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.